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Jerusalem mayoral candidate Meir Porush campaigning in the capital. (Jini)
Last update - 23:39 02/11/2008
Meir Porush: In 15 years, Israel won't have any secular mayors
By Yair Ettinger and Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel News, Jerusalem 

Jerusalem mayoral hopeful Meir Porush said on Sunday that in just over a decade, not a single city in Israel would still have a secular mayor.

"In another 15 years there will not be a secular mayor in any city in Israel, [except for] perhaps in some far-flung village," Porush, the ultra-Orthodox candidate in this year's municipal poll, told a pre-election gathering of Belz Hasidim.

Porush's remark was not intended for general consumption; it was made in Yiddish to an all-Haredi audience at Jerusalem's Belzer yeshiva. But it became public knowledge when it was broadcast live, without his knowledge, by the cellular news service Hakol Haharedi.
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In his speech, Porush noted that the religious community's size, and therefore its influence, has been growing, due primarily to its high birthrate.

Jerusalem, he pointed out, elected its first Haredi mayor five years ago, and Beit Shemesh may well do the same in next week's municipal election, as the Shas Party's candidate currently leads in the polls.

Asked for a response, Porush's campaign staff said that when he spoke about the religious community's high birthrate, he was including religious Zionists as well as the ultra-Orthodox.

"Within the next 10 to 15 years, we will both be on the playing field," explained one - and therefore, Porush believes the Haredim should make a deal with the religious Zionists under which "one time you'll support us, and another time we'll support you."

His media adviser acknowledged that Porush has long worked to establish all-Haredi cities, but insisted that the candidate wants to become mayor of Jerusalem "for the sake of a better future for all its inhabitants  secular, religious, traditional, ultra-Orthodox - and all its
nationalities."

Porush's main rival, the secular candidate Nir Barkat, said at the election debates last week the capital was "becoming more Haredi and Arab."

"The tragedy is that not all [Israelis] are connected to Jerusalem and large portions of the country don't feel a connection to the capital," Barkat said.

"The Haredi public and its leaders don't count the national-religious," he added. The debate was organized by the ultra-Orthodox newspaper Mekor Harishon and attended by mostly national-religious Jews.

Porush rebutted his opponent by saying he has gained the support of many national-religious rabbis who consider him tp be "one of us," due to his support for settlement expansion.

Porush also praised outgoing Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, but said he make significant changes to the city should he be elected.

He also said that the Temple Mount must remain under Israeli sovereignty, but qualified that there was no need to change its current legal status. As it stands, the Muslim Waqf, or religious authority, essentially controls the area and Jews are forbidden from entering to pray.


Related articles:
  • Don't judge a Porush by his beard
  • Poll: Secular candidate would crush Haredi MK in Jerusalem mayoral elections
  • Mayoral candidate vows to build 10,000 homes in East Jerusalem
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      1.   Who will then work or go to the army, 22:34  |  HS 02/11/08
      2.   divided we fall 23:25  |  united we stand 02/11/08
      3.   Don`t worry, so-called Secular Jews have been iknown . . . 00:05  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      4.   Jerusalem and all other Israeli cities need a Unity mayor 00:30  |  Realist 03/11/08
      5.   So I have 15 years left to prepare my emmigration 00:43  |  Udi 03/11/08
      6.   The Haredim are nauseating 03:37  |  Nathaniel 03/11/08
      7.   In 15 years??? 04:38  |  Josh 03/11/08
      8.   Correlation between faith and birth rate 05:13  |  kia 03/11/08
      9.   sll the more reason 05:48  |  Rabbi Ashkenazi 03/11/08
      10.   haaretz bungles up 06:30  |  larry 03/11/08
      11.   This crap can only exist thanks for our corrupt secular politicia 06:30  |  Dab 03/11/08
      12.   Than k you Porush for proividing the answer 06:46  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      13.   Planet earth calling Zev 06:57  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      14.   Why are the leftists worried about demography? 07:25  |  Shlomo 03/11/08
      15.   Shlomo its not demography its demagogy 08:49  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      16.   We have to make every effort to make Israel the home of all jews 09:15  |  Jean Van Daem 03/11/08
      17.   For Nathaniel, Minneapolis 09:43  |  Star of David 03/11/08
      18.   oops! Darn reporters who speak Yiddish! 10:00  |  Kenny 03/11/08
      19.   Haredim out of politics! 10:26  |  Shimon 03/11/08
      20.   Michele, there is one little detail . . . 10:46  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      21.   Meir Porush: 10:55  |  Ralph 03/11/08
      22.   All out haredi war and Jerusalem will be poor 10:57  |  Jo 03/11/08
      23.   I REMEMBER THE LATE KHOMEINI DAN SHEIKH YASIN 11:11  |  indrajaya 03/11/08
      24.   if this happens 12:01  |  amihai 03/11/08
      25.   Well, in 15 years I will hopefully be living in a normal place 12:05  |  Goy 03/11/08
      26.   In 15 years there will be no secular left in Israel 13:10  |  Son of Meir Porush 03/11/08
      27.   When will someone here ask . . . 13:23  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      28.   Zeev - your little point is wrong 13:27  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      29.   Zionist Religious will support them? 13:39  |  KJs 03/11/08
      30.   I agree, Gadamark did waste his money 13:46  |  s 03/11/08
      31.   Michelle, Nothing?! 14:38  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      32.   birthrate and conversion 14:41  |  Big Bill 03/11/08
      33.   Shimon, lets comapre mayor for mayor 14:53  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      34.   to number 20 15:19  |  Big Bill 03/11/08
      35.   Zeev get at least one fact right 15:31  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      36.   Big Bill, I grant you that B`nei Brak is . . . 15:51  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      37.   Miche, they get less than your son! 15:59  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      38.   Ze`ev address the real issue 16:19  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      39.   If you draft `em in a year it wouldn`t pay to be Chareidi 16:22  |  Koo lum 03/11/08
      40.   Midche, stop chepping on Haredim! 17:58  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      41.   HS #1 Vaccums are always filled. 18:27  |  FOX 03/11/08
      42.   haredi demography unimportant-the Economy is everthing 20:05  |  De 03/11/08
      43.   Zev thanks for the good news 20:20  |  Miche Norman 03/11/08
      44.   He is mouth trying to get a headline 21:26  |  PETER SM 03/11/08
      45.   No secular jews! 21:58  |  Truth 03/11/08
      46.   considering what the governments like can that be all bad 23:15  |  zionist forever 03/11/08
      47.   de, oy vey, the sweat and blood, and tears and . . . 23:30  |  Zev Davis 03/11/08
      48.   "TRUTH" where did Porush say all that? What empire? 00:09  |  PETER SM 04/11/08
      49.   The Jewish Talibans are on the March! 05:24  |  Monitor 04/11/08
      50.   Porush- mayor 05:27  |  Nonu 04/11/08
      51.   Seperation of state and religion !!! 10:15  |  Benjamina 04/11/08
      52.   Draft Chareidim and in a year it wouldn`t pay to be Chareidi 18:01  |  Koo-Lum 04/11/08
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