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A Vote For Jerusalem's Soul
November 10, 2008 7:48 AM
By Simon McGregor-Wood, Correspondent & Bureau Chief, ABC News Jerusalem
Let’s start with a joke.
Question: “What’s the best thing about Jerusalem?”
Answer: “The road to Tel Aviv.”
Just a joke, but an increasing number of secular Israeli residents of this troubled city believe it and they are leaving.
In the last ten years there has been a steady exodus of the city’s secular community. And as their numbers have fallen so the numbers of ultra-orthodox residents of the city have increased.
As a result Jerusalem has become Israel’s poorest city as most religious residents do not work.
It is a conflict of lifestyles and ideologies that is at the center of Tuesday’s race for Jerusalem’s mayoral office.
The two leading candidates represent the competing camps – Meir Porush a bearded orthodox rabbi, and Nir Barkat a successful right wing businessman. Barkat leads in the polls.
The city is festooned with their posters and placards. Young people man the intersections thrusting flyers and handbills through car windows. Their favored candidate reflected in the distinctive styles of dress favored by the religious and secular.
Some are saying it is a battle for the soul of this famous but divided city.
If it was just a question of numbers, the orthodox would seem to have a winning hand. In the seven years of my assignment in Jerusalem their influence and growing numbers have become obvious. Neighborhoods that were once secular now have orthodox families moving in.
This has caused growing resentment. In a friend’s apartment building traditionally home to young professional Israelis, orthodox families have moved in and recently complained about the “immodest” dress of female residents.
The increasing influence of the orthodox seems to have motivated the city’s secular voters this year. During this election campaign people who never used to vote have flocked to Barkat’s campaign. Many feel this is the last chance to save a mixed and cosmopolitan Jerusalem.
My wife, all her life a secular Jerusalemite, desperately wants to vote. She doesn’t want to vote Barkat because both he and his opponent both favor the expansion of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and are against peaceful compromise with the 250,000 Palestinian residents of the city.
Since Israel’s occupation and reunification of the city after the Six Day War in 1967 the city’s Arab residents have refused to vote. They have never fielded a candidate.
The only truly leftist candidate this year according to my wife is Dan Biron a former television director and now bar owner who is campaigning as the Green Leaf candidate, proposing the legalization of marijuana and greater investment of public funds in Arab parts of the city.
He doesn’t have a chance of winning.
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November 10, 2008 in Simon McGregor-Wood | Permalink | User Comments (4)
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You need to learn the difference between the ultra-orthodox Jewish community(where the men by and large do not work) and the "religious" Jews (where the men do work). There are far more religious Jews (whether they are orthodox, conservative or reform) than ultra-orthodox Jews in Jerusalem (and in Israel generally). As a secular Israeli myself, I understand your wife's voting dilemma, but at least understand that your comment that "most religious residents do not work" is simply wrong.
Posted by: Laura from Israel | Nov 10, 2008 9:38:18 AM
Left wing or Right wing - you got to be nuts not to vote for Barkat. Barkat, if he wins, will form a coalition with Meretz and the other centrist parties. As mayor of Jerusalem, Barkat will have no say where new neighborhoods can be built - that is a decision that is made by the national government.
Barkat will represent the tax paying citizens of the city - left and right - and will make good on his promises of a better managed city, a clean city, better education and more than a measly 4 million shekel (about one million dollars) for supporting cultural events in the city.
Posted by: Harry | Nov 10, 2008 10:08:53 AM
Laura from Israel, its ok. Its not like either the "religious jews" and the "orthodox jews" really stand much of a chance. Let me explain why:
What is Israel? It is a country with a JEWISH MAJORITY. Wihout this majority, Israel will not be jewish, and well, you know where that will lead.
So there has been an a lot of jews leaving Israel for places that are more calm and more secure (US, Europe, etc..) and there has been a significant drop in jews moving INTO Israel. Now, while all this is happening, the Palestinians are breeding at a rate far far greater than the Israelis. It is estimated that within the next generation or two, the jewish majority will not longer exist and it will become a PALESTINIAN MAJORITY! And we all know that a minority can not lead, rule, or occupy a majority. Especially a majority that feels like they have been wrongly done (and they should feel this way because they have been wrongly done and the plight of Israel has been full of lies and exaggerations when it was sold to the American public). And considering the Palestinians have shown that violence is something they are not afraid of...well...it doesn't look good for the "Jews".
Egven most of the think tanks that are pro-Israeli, and even some Israeli politicians agree that Israel MUST make peace with the Palestinians or Israeli will no longer exist. I also hear and read more of a 1 state solution, and if the happens, well, Israel will be gone a whole lot quicker.
Sorry y'all, the script is about to be flipped, and it is not going to be pretty. Oh well, at least I will be able to go back and claim the land that was stolen from my grandfather by those dirty settlers. Regardless of what some ancient scroll says.
=]
Posted by: Banned from ABC 40 times | Nov 10, 2008 11:31:15 AM
A note to clarify Simon's comment that Barkat and Porush, his ultra-Orthodox opponent, are both "against peaceful compromise with the 250,000 Palestinian residents."
That's an extremely unfair and inaccurate presentation of Barkat's approach, policy-prescriptions, and actual history of involvement in various business-promotion activities on behalf of Jerusalem's Arab residents.
If anything, he's the one candidate who, rather than spouting meaningless truisms about 'coexistence', has both a track-record of real cooperation and assistance and a specific set of plans to put into place to better the lot of all residents of Jerusalem - Muslim, Christian and Jew.
(Written by one who has followed Barkat's campaign and work over the past decade but who is not a member/supporter of his party or campaign.)
And - while I'm writing - I'd submit that you ought to be a tad more careful, Simon, in your use of the term "settlements". While the legality of Israel's presence and building of communities in the territories occupied by Jordan 1948-1967 and controlled by Israel since June 1967 is clear to most western observers according to the norms of western jurispudence, the situation of Jerusalem is distinct and compelling. Political arguments about Jerusalem (or the territories) by the Arab world claiming 'rights' there which attempt to replace historical accuracy and legal norms with hyperbole and religiously-motivated ideological statements are an accepted part of our world; but using the short-hand of "settlements" to describe new Jerusalem neighborhoods built inside the municipal boundaries does an injustice to Israel, history, and your readers.
:-)
Aryeh
Posted by: Aryeh Green | Nov 11, 2008 6:00:38 AM
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