In Sunday’s round 2 municipal elections, Haredi candidates scored victories in Beit Shemesh and Kiryat Gat. Haifa’s former Mayor Yona Yahav won back his post following an anti-Haredi campaign. And in Efrat, Dovi Shefler defeated the incumbent Oded Revivo.
BEIT SHEMESH
Following a rare unification of Haredi political forces, candidate Shmuel Greenberg defeated Aliza Bloch by a large margin to become Mayor of Beit Shemesh. Last Thursday, Degel HaTorah, Agudath Israel, and Shas signed a cooperation agreement according to which all the haredi parties would support Greenberg.
Incumbent Mayor Aliza Bloch said after voting at her polling station (if you’re American, this would be a good place to cringe), “This city must not accept one color of politicking. There is a group of political hacks here who divided the inheritances, the budgets, the buildings, and the jobs among themselves for the next fifteen years.” Bloch said she represented everybody else, but everybody else didn’t show up en masse to support her.
KIRYAT GAT
Kfir Swisa, a Haredi candidate who is affiliated with Likud Minister Miki Zohar, defeated Kiryat Gat’s 20-year incumbent Mayor Aviram Dahari. Both candidates are Likud affiliates, but Swisa received the support of the party’s municipal committee.
HAIFA
Yona Yahav won the Haifa mayoral round 2 elections with 62.6% of the votes. Yahav’s opponent, David Etzioni, won 37.4% support. The incumbent mayor, Einat Kalisch-Rotem, didn’t make it to the second round.
In his victory speech, Yahav, 80, who had been mayor from 2003 to 2018, said that “the disconnection between the Haifa municipality and the government is over, from now on we work together.”
He added that he was “looking in the eyes of all the decision-makers in Israel, insisting Haifa will no longer be a second priority.” Referring to the war with Hezbollah, he said that Haifa “needs to prepare well for any scenario.” He also said he intends to “unite all parts of the city, Jews and Arabs,” as well as connect “religious and secular. Five religions – one good and egalitarian city for all.”
Etzioni received the support of Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri. Yahav distributed a video in which he said, “The elections that are taking place today are very, very important for the future of the city of Haifa. It could turn from a free city into a Haredi city that is unpleasant to live in.”
EFRAT
In Efrat, Dovi Shefler won with 53.3% of the votes, defeating his opponent, 15-year incumbent Mayor Oded Ravivi who won 46.7%.
רשמית וסופית
לאחר 15 שנה – ראש מועצה חדש לאפרת: דובי שפלר
בתום מערכת דרמטית – ראש עירייה חדש לאריאל: יאיר שטבון.
בסרטון: חגיגות במטה של שפלר באפרת. pic.twitter.com/JNQpg5XbFB
— חנן גרינווד (@hanan_green) March 10, 2024
Shefler, married and father of six, graduated Yeshiva Or Etzion, enlisted in the IDF, and served in the Armored Corps as a tank commander and an officer. As part of his reserve service, Shefler served in the 8th Brigade and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was the CEO of several yeshivas and served on Efrat’s council for ten years.
ARIEL
Educator Yair Chetboun won the elections in Ariel with 62.9% of the votes. His opponent, former MK Oren Hazan, received 37.1% of the vote, but his city council faction won the biggest support, 20.4% of the votes.
Chetboun was a member of the city council in the last term and ran for mayor with the support of the Religious Zionist party. Hazan grew up in Ariel and was supported by the Likud. Both candidates competed for the seat being vacated by the incumbent mayor Eliyahu Shaviro after more than a decade in office.
RAMLA
The incumbent mayor of Ramla, Michael Vidal, who was supported by Likud and by Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri, won 53.1% of the votes in the second round of the local election and will continue for another term. Vidal overcame a challenge from the city’s former mayor Yoel Lavi, 74, who ruled the city from 1993 to 2017.
