A guest post by Shoshana Halberstadt
After returning from a trip abroad to visit family, with the campaign in full swing two weeks ago, I was quite surprised that the Eli Cohen campaign's slogan in the header was cause for the haredi population of BS/RBS to take offense. It seems to be that we are not allowed to be negative in our campaign tactics. Abutbol's campaign has sunk to the lowest levels in both campaigns, employing Holocaust imagery and religious coercion liberally... but we can't use the word "extremist"??? Even if you try to see the positive side of Bet Shemesh, I believe we can all admit that the media has not fabricated stories about extremists. We have a small percentage of real extremists living in our midst. They make headlines because their actions are extreme, giving our city a terrible reputation. The most recent international hillul Hashem-extreme actions are the systematic election fraud.
I would like not to be embarrassed to say I live in Ramat Bet Shemesh. But these images are real: burning garbage dumpsters and construction sites, Israeli flags ripped off of passing cars, nasty grafitti about gravesites and tzniut, broken bus windows, vandalized half-built buildings (Resido Center, many city construction projects), and perpetrators of fraud in haredi garb being led away in handcuffs. Every year at the same times there are extremist actions, flare-ups of the simmering tensions they cause in the city: sefirat haomer (yom haatzmaut) and the 9 days (bein hazmanim). How sick is it that sinat chinam makes its resurgence davka at these times of year??
A few years ago I volunteered as an escort for elementary school children from the Orot school. I passed by hoodlums half-blocking the sidewalk, masquerading as haredi men. They called us "shiksa, prutza". The kids were freaked out by the cult-like chanting but didn't understand Yiddish and I didn't translate for them. One of the saddest extreme behaviors around the Orot events was when a group of righteous women from RBS, mostly haredi in hashkafa, decided to show support and love for the girls of Orot banot. They arranged to arrive on Friday morning at the girls school with a prominent educator to give a shiur and hand out roses to the girls. In the end, only a few non-haredi women made the trip because extremists had threatened both the educator's school and family, spreading fear in the haredi women who had planned to attend. How sick is that???
Our current mayor has not acted in words or deeds to deal with the extremists who give the vast majority of haredi residents a bad name. The vast majority of haredim who simply want to live and educate their children in this city feel as if they have a mob in their midst. A real leader would have immediately dealt with illegal and immoral behavior to protect all populations of this city. The law must be applied equally to all. The extremists have been allowed to feel comfortable in Bet Shemesh. We have become the international capitol of chilul Hashem. With all of the amazing people and chesed organizations here, why shouldn't we become a model of achdut and gemilut chasadim? This local election is NOT a referendum on the new draft law or on our opinions about whether the country should fund a kollel lifestyle. Abutbol's campaign makes this supposed connection in its' ads very clearly. No, Eli Cohen is not supported by Yair Lapid and has been clear in his intention to maintain the traditional nature of the city. Religious institutions and schools will be funded well...In fact Eli has stated clearly his intention to get haredi children out of temporary caravans and build permanent buildings for them!! Public transport will not be running in BS/RBS with Eli Cohen as mayor. Just ask the long list of rabbis who support Eli Cohen for mayor. While as a campaign we don't believe that rabbis should tell us how to vote, we believe that having the backing of rabbis has become critical since Abutbol has made Eli's traditional religious practice into a campaign issue.
This letter is long enough, though of course this is the tip of the iceberg...please feel free to contact me if you have questions. And please make sure you vote for Eli Cohen as mayor in Tuesday's elections!! May we all be zoche to live together in this city in shalom and achdut
Shoshana Halberstadt