The vote count for the 44 locations where a second round of
local elections was held last week showed a decline in the
Likud's power. The second round was held in localities in
which no candidate for mayor won at least 40 percent of the
votes in the first round.
According to Degel HaTorah Director-General MK Rabbi Moshe
Gafni, "United Torah Jewry mobilized to support several
candidates around the country and eight of the candidates
running in the second-round elections and backed by UTJ won
their respective races, unlike Likud and Shinui candidates
who lost the elections in these cities."
In Ashkelon UTJ-backed Roni Mahatzry won against the Likud
candidate. Shortly before the first round of elections UTJ
signed a surplus votes agreement with Mahatzry's party. Such
an agreement generally indicates a level of general
cooperation.
In Tzfat the Likud mayor was defeated after gedolei
Torah issued written directives to support Yishai Maimon,
a religious man who keeps regular times for Torah study.
In Arad, based on a preliminary agreement reached, Mordechai
Brill received UTJ backing and took the mayoral race. In
Kiryat Gat as well UTJ reached an understanding to support
Abiram Dahari, who even received blessings by gedolei
Yisroel and won.
In Or Yehuda UTJ supported incumbent mayor Yitzhak Bukboza,
who was selected for a second term. In Ramat HaSharon's
mayoral race between Yitzhak Kaul of Shinui and Yitzhak
Rochberger, an independent candidate and a traditional Jew,
UTJ-backed Rochberger won a surprise victory. In Kfar Saba
UTJ-backed independent candidate Yehuda Ben-Chamo defeated
the Likud's Yaakov Ohayon.
In Yeruchom, UTJ and the local Torah kehilloh rallied
behind Baruch Elmakias (Labor) and helped him win his battle
against Mayor Motti Avisror (Likud). During the two weeks of
campaigning preceding the elections Yeruchom was the scene of
a bitter incitement campaign by the Likud against the
chareidi sector, just like in Beit Shemesh where anti-
chareidi incitement helped Dani Vaknin (Likud) win a third
term. In Yeruchom, however, residents did not respond to the
Likud's calls to oppose the chareidim and the Labor Party
candidate won by a margin of 91 votes.
A major drama unfolded in the city on election night. Ten
voting places were set up in all of the city's neighborhoods
and after the votes from nine of them had been counted the
results showed a crushing defeat by the Likud candidate. At
the last moment the results from the polling place in the
city's chareidi neighborhood arrived, bringing a big
surprise: Elmakias won by a hair. A group of avreichim
went to the home of HaRav M.Y. Kraus, rov of the
kehilloh, to notify him of the achievement. Minutes
later Elmakias, the new mayor-elect, also arrived to thank
HaRav Kraus for his support. He acknowledged that chareidi
voters ensured his victory and said he would continue to
support and assist the chareidi community in every way
possible.
