All of the chareidi candidates on the ballot won seats on the
neighborhood council of Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood in
last week's elections there.
Rabbi Aryeh Fuchsbrumer was elected chairman with a large
majority. He received 2,219 votes, representing 65 percent of
all voters. All six council candidates--Rabbi Yaakov Moshe
Shpitzer, Rabbi Nosson Cohen, Rabbi Ephraim Weingot, Rabbi
Yaakov Wertheimer, Rabbi Yosef Kreindler and Rabbi Eliezer
Rauchberger--posted impressive results, winning with
respectable margins of victory.
In addition to the six chareidi candidates, three candidates
associated with Mafdal and one from Shas were also elected to
the council. These sweeping results give the directorate a
decisive chareidi majority and represent a significant
increase compared to the outgoing directorate.
Over 80 percent of Har Nof's chareidi residents went to the
polls, responding to voter turnout calls issued by gedolei
hador and neighborhood rabbonim. They followed special
directives to vote for particular candidates based on a
division of the neighborhood according to street and area,
thereby ensuring the election of all six chareidi
representatives.
Due to the large turnout election officials were forced to
set up additional voting booths in the course of the day in
order to reduce the long lines outside polling places.
Towards evening more voters flocked to the polls, requiring
some to wait long periods in line to exercise their right to
vote.
Although the polls closed at 10:00 p.m. in accordance with
voting regulations, in some cases those who arrived before
closing time did not get to cast their votes until as late as
11:00. The vote count lasted until 4:00 am.
At the chareidi candidates' headquarters, candidates and
supporters waiting anxiously for the announcement of the
final results, receiving encouraging interim reports that
leaked out of the counting hall throughout the night.
Jerusalem's chareidi sector and Har Nof residents in
particular were very pleased with the election results and
offered the candidates blessings of success in working
faithfully to promote their constituents' spiritual and
physical needs.
