Chanich Verdyger has announced that on Friday afternoon he was given permission by the Admor with which he consults on behalf of TOV has given him permission to publicize who he is. Verdyger today revealed that the admor he consults with regarding all TOV issues is the Amshinover Rebbe.

Whether this takes the wind out of the sails of TOV opponents whose main claim against TOV has been that they have no rabbinic guidance or authority and is only led by political hacks.

I liked TOV more before, when their rabbinic authority was kept private/secret. Now they are just entering the race of whose gadol is bigger than whose.

While municipal elections across the country are being held on Tuesday of this week, with polling stations open from 7 am until 10 pm, TOV voters are now expected to go vote on Wednesday morning from 3 am until 6 pm...


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I apologize for intruding on your morning videos with this election message, but it is timely and important.

And, I apologize to all the non-Bet Shemesh readers who are sick of Bet Shemesh election posts.. Just a few more days and it will all be over...

early this morning, somebody went around tossing flyers around the neighborhood that were supposedly written by Eli Friedman, former head of TOV Bet Shemesh. In the flyer he writes about how TOV has not done anything positive, with many examples of failures. In the end the author concludes, in the name of Eli Friedman, that he is upset with TOV, and upset that they chose to support Eli Cohen for mayor, and he is distancing himself from TOV. He calls on the public to vote for Moshe Abutbol and for any of the classic mainstream haredi parties.

The flyer is a lie. It was not written by Eli Friedman. Just last night Eli was at the pre-election rally for Eli Cohen. Eli has been working with TOV non-stop for the success of the party in the upcoming elections. These tactics are dirty and beyond the pale of basic decency. The only thing I can think of is that they are nervous. They are nervous not just about Eli Cohen winning, but also about TOV succeeding.

Eli released a statement, which he sent to me:
נעשתה נבלה בישראל מופץ פשקויל שקרי
כביכול בשמי כאילו אני פונה לכולם להצביע אבוטבול וכאילו שלא להצביע לטוב בושו והיכלמו לכם לכן אני מודיע בשער בת רבים כי לא חזרתי בי מדבר אני קורא להצביע לרשימת טוב ולמועמד המוסכם על ידה 

לראשות בברכה אלי פרידמן

translation:

Something disgusting was done.

A flyer full of lies was distributed, as if in my name, as if I turn to you and recommend you 

vote for Abutbol and not to vote for TOV.

You should be embarrassed!

Therefore I am announcing in public that I have not retracted from my call to vote for TOV 

and for the candidate decided upon by TOV for mayor.

With blessings, Eli friedman


The flyer:




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A Guest Post by Rabbi Avrohom Leventhal of TOV

I spoke with many people over the last few days about the upcoming election. Most of them are residents of RBSA and are quite confused.

On one hand they know that there are serious issues and a need for change. Many of them believe that Eli Cohen and parties like TOV are a good prospect for such change.

And yet they are hesitant. What is the problem?

FEAR.

They are afraid of what their neighbors will say if they hang a banner for Eli or TOV. They are concerned about their children's schools if they come out in open support.

We are taught by the Mesilat Yesharim and other seforim that the only fear we should have is Yirat Shomayim. And yet the fear that many have is fear from other people.

I ask those who came on Aliyah to live Torat Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael: Is this what you came for? To live in fear of others even when you know you are doing what is right and what is best for you, your children and the future?

Do we want to raise our children with any fear other than fear of HaShem?

This election is not just another Israeli political circus. Looking around this may be difficult to believe.

Who takes control of our city will decide the future.

Will Bet Shemesh be a city that ALL Jews will feel comfortable in?

Will there be equality for segments of the population regardless of their affiliation?

Will the streets still be cleaned when elections are over.

Will children still remain in caravans while the leadership fights it out with special interests?

Will the people sitting in the Iryiah listen to me and my concerns?

Will Bet Shemesh be a Kiddush HaShem for the rest of Klal Yisrael or go further into infamy?

Every voter has the power to decide the answers to those questions on October 22nd. One can choose candidates based on fear. Or, you can choose the candidates who have a track record of professional management of national bodies and organizations. Candidates who have proven that they can, and will, work with and for all of the people.

You must not be afraid. Not of the neighbors, principals, shadchanim or any other person. They won't be with you in voting booth and will not know whose ballot you put in the envelopes.

With you in the voting booth, will be only HaShem and your hope.

Your hope for a bright future for your children. Your hope for good representation and true public servants.

The hope that Bet Shemesh will once again be a place that we are proud to call home.

Here is my opinion on elections and supporting different candidates:
We live in a democracy and every person has the right to support whatever party or whatever candidate he or she prefers, for whatever reason. Even if I think the worst thing possible about any specific candidate, as long as he is running as a legal candidate or party, people can choose to support him/her/it. I might not agree with your reasons for who you choose to support, but I respect your right to support your preferred candidate.
And, I expect you to respect my right to support my preferred candidate, and to respect the next guys right to support his candidate, etc.

Why do I mention this?

A short while ago I saw someone rip down an election poster for a political party he does not support. This was a young yeshiva boy, looked to be about 15 or 16 years old, tearing down a poster of TOV.

I do not work for TOV. I have not yet decided if I will be voting for TOV. I have no formal connection to TOV (other than knowing somen of the people who run it). I am not a member of TOV. I am not a candidate for TOV. I have not even expressed support for TOV, though there are many things about TOV that I like. So, my connection to this vision before my eyes was not personal - I did not take it as a personal affront or damaging my party's property.

I called out to this young man to stop tearing up other peoples property.

He finished tearing it down and then responded to me that he is allowed to because Rav Shteinman said not to vote TOV and that they are against the gedolim.

I do not know if he actually said that or not, but I did not ask him for proof. I did ask him if he asked Rav Shteinman, or if Rav Shteinman said on his own, that one is allowed to destroy TOV property and signs or did he just say not to vote for them?

He said Rav Shteinman did not say anything about tearing up signs, but anyways they get money from the Iryah for this.

I said, I don't know if that is true or not, but so what? That fact, even if true, does not give you the right to destroy their property and their signs.

He then started arguing that because Rav Shteinman is against TOV, the TOV posters are actually an insult. He compared it to someone who has a crazy father, and someone goes and hangs up a sign across the street from your house against your father. Wouldn't you tear it up?

Sounds like a silly comparison to me, but I just asked if he asked a rav if he is allowed to destroy others signs and property. I said I am not from TOV, and these are not my signs, but he should be asking a rav before he takes the liberty to destroy property of other people.

What do you think? Is removing signs of competing political parties a legitimate action? Can I tear down signs of parties I do not support?

TOV wins the award  for being behind the Pashkevil of the Day..




Translation:
enough of the hooliganism!

they took control over us in the public sphere - nd we were quyiet
they shamed and degraded people on bus lines - and we were quiet
they smashed windshields and endangered lives - and we were quiet
they used violence and criminal methods - and we were quiet
they gave a bad name to our city and desecrated God's name - and we were quiet
they aroused hatred and endangered the flourishing of haredim in the city - and we were quiet

It is time to say Enough!
it is time to stop the hooliganism
it is time to show responsibility to our city
it is time to show responsibility to our community
it is time to show responsibility to the public

TOV - showing public responsibility

It is a great pashkevil. However, I would like to know why they were silent for the 5+ years they have been around, and in and out of the local coalition. And, being that they have finally decided enough is enough and it is time to show responsibility and leadership, in what way do they plan to do so?

A yeshiva, of all things, is causing a major fight within the haredi community of Bet Shemesh.

A couple of months ago it became known that Mayor of Bet Shemesh Moshe Abutbol allotted an unusually large plot of land to a yeshiva, Yeshivat Torat Zeev, from Yerushalayim. The 7 dunam plot of land is in RBS C.

Initially the allotment was protested by Eli Friedman, city councilman from the TOV party. He protested, and voted against the allotment, in the city council vote. His opposition is due to the size of the plot and that this yeshiva is not a local institution - 7 dunam is an unusually large size, and is inappropriate especially when there is already known to be a shortage of schools and plots for local institutions. Most institutions are allocated plots to the size of up to 1.5 dunam.

City Councilman Shmuel Greenberg (UTJ) was responsible for the allocation, and has attacked Friedman for his opposition. Greenberg's attack including a scathing op-ed in the Yated Neeman accusing him of opposing yeshivas and Torah study, while ignoring the actual issue. He has so far failed to explain why he agreed to give 7 dunam of land to a yeshiva from outside of Bet Shemesh while local institutions flounder and fight for every inch of land they can get.

According to Bechadrei, this has boomeranged on Greenberg. The opposition has increased as residents began to understand that their interests are being overlooked in favor of personal interests of their representatives. It seems a group of residents has sent a letter to Minister of the Interior Gideon Saar asking him to delay the allotment until the courts can hear and decide on the issue. They are preparing to file a lawsuit against the allotment, stating that they are not opposed to the yeshiva and have nothign against the yeshiva opening its doors in Bet Shemesh - the only thing they are opposed to is specifically this allotment of land, of this size, and that it smells of corruption.

According to the groups representative, Daniel Spiegel, besides for all the information already mentioned, the allotment happened after activists and the mayor himself met with the sponsor of the yeshiva, a philanthropist from France, the allotment was agreed to and approved. As Spiegel says, "Without casting suspicion on anyone, the issue should be investigated to discover the causes behind the disproportionate decision..."

I find it humorous that he casts suspicions while saying he is avoiding casting suspicion....

Bechadrei quotes another resident, left unnamed, who also stressed that they have nothing against the yeshiva itself, but are protesting against the distorted set of priorities of Iryat Bet Shemesh, giving a disproportionately large plot of land to establish a yeshiva that is not from Bet Shemesh itself while there is already a shortage of classrooms for local institutions.

Will the fight over a yeshiva bring about the downfall of the [largely] inept leadership of Bet Shemesh? It might be part of it, as more and more residents even within the Haredi community are realizing that their representatives dont have the interests of the local residents at the top of their lists of priorities..

Today's FSotD goes to the TOV movement..


Translation:

The strange race for the Chief Rabbinate
In recent days it has seemed that there is nothing more important to Haredi Jewry than the identity of the rav who will man the seat of the Chief Rabbinate.
The media is teeming with deals and spin, the messengers are urgently leaving the houses of activists and assistants with deals and spin - as if the seat of the Chief Rabbinate is something the soul of Haredi Jewry depends upon.
Something strange is happening to us.
There were days when the Rabbanut was "muktze machmas tzionut". An institution that was designed by the rabbinic leadership of the Religious Zionists,  headed by Rav Kook zt"l.
The Rabbanut was perceived in haredi eyes as a clear tool of the State for imposing its strength over its citizens. Integration into the Rabbanut of the State is a clear expression of participation with the State and its people.
Today? The leaders of the Haredi community are fighting for the position of the seat of the Chief Rabbinate with such vigor as if it was at minimum the seat of the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezshe.
Why? For what exactly is this battle?
Do we have any obligation to obligate the systems of the State to act specifically according to certain poskim? Do we have an obligation that the rav of this city or that State should be specifically haredi?
What would we say, for example, if a Religious Zionist rav would demand to be appointed as the "Gaav'ad" of Jerusalem for the Eida Haredis? Would we not be in wonderment about this?
It is no wonder it seems strange in the eyes of people watching these battles  from the side, that people who declare that they have no portion in the State and in its systems, people who repeatedly say that they have no interest in integrating into it, and even are raining discussion of autonomy - now demands with strength a partnership in a bureaucratic position of the State of Israel.

And further: What is the difference to the Haredi community if this rav who is more connected or that rav who is less connected serves as Chief Rabbi in an institution we have nothing to do with.
The time has come for us to wake up and begin to deal with issues that are important to us: education, commerce, strengthening our ranks.
The issue of jobs for our associates is not essential, and should not be something interesting us.

I received the following statement from someone in TOV regarding the offer from Mayor of Bet Shemesh Moshe Abutbol to take over the now-vacant position as head of the Shefa department of the city:

It is being reported (in local newspaper Shopping Mekomi's FB page) that the TOV party of Bet Shemesh has submitted it's resignation from the municipal coalition this morning.

They have been threatening to do so for a long time, due to unanswered requests regarding issues for kids at risk, as well as the issues regarding the cleanliness of RBS (controlled by the Shefa department that doesnt seem interested in dealing with RBS but wont transfer control of RBS to someone who will do the work) that has been discussed for a long time but has yet to be resolved.

Is this a big deal? Will they be brought back in quickly? Will this affect the balance of local power?  TOV only holds one mandate, so this is not an earthquake, but it is big news..

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There have been a number of articles written in the Hebrew media presenting the "haredi side" of the "haredi draft" issue. Some of these articles are better than others, and none of them have really been haredi PR people so they are more like personal opinions- op-eds - that tell a nice story, often anecdotal, but don't really present an effective argument.

What I find especially interesting about these articles, is that, for the most part, it is my impression, these articles are generally being written by people who have failed the system, or by people who have been rejected from the system.

They are young guys who are working. I have no idea what they did about army service, but if they were standard haredim they would be in kollel right now for at least another 5 years or so. They wear colored shirts and use the Internet for business and pleasure. They (the ones whom I am familiar with) are supporters of TOV rather than Degel and UTJ, and as such their kids will not be going to mainstream haredi schools - either because they have been or will be rejected, or because they will choose to give their children a broader education.

Yet despite the differences, despite not being accepted as a full member of the haredi community, these people are all writing articles in defense of the hard-line haredi position regarding army service.

Somehow, despite all the bad these people have encountered, at the end of the day they consider themselves haredi and when push comes to shove they will defend the haredi position - even though they know it doesn't work for a lot of people including themselves.

I think it was very expressed very well in the following round-table discussion. This forum was established to discuss the debate of the haredi draft, parallel to the Plesner Committee. The speaker in this clip is Chanoch Werdyger. Werdyger is the head of the national TOV party and has been active in finding solutions for Haredim to be able to enter the workforce. If you follow haredi newspapers and websites, you will find almost nothing but scorn for Werdyger and his people.

If you watch the clip you will hear Werdyger talk about how the haredi community is being put into a corner and like it or not he has to come to it's defense. The whole situation has thrown back his efforts years backwards, and he has his own suggestions - re-legalize the Tal Law and make changes to resolve the issues that it was supposed to, but did not, resolve.



Interesting phenomenon...

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The following is my translation of the letter sent by Eli Friedman of the TOV party to Mayor of Bet Shemesh Moshe Abutbol:

To The Respectable Mayor
HaRav Moshe Abutbol
Greetings
Because this is not the first and only time a chilul  Hashem has been caused by the extremist residents of Bet Shemesh, which is something that causes in its wake incitement against the entire haredi community around the country. It is obvious that unless steps are taken against this evil  phenomenon we will not be able to say "our hands did not spill the blood".
Out of a desire to increase love and friendship between the various communities here in Bet Shemesh we turn to you with a request to establish a rabbinical committee that will be comprised of rabbonim from all the religious and haredi communities as well from the old city and from the new.
The job of this committee will be to sit and work out every public issue that might ignite the fire before it actually happens, with the objective to resolve it and provide a solution, to arrive at a common ground from the perspective of "talmidei chachomim increase peace in the world", and in order to prevent the recurrence of violent acts and thuggery that cause chilul hashem and give a bad name to the entire haredi community in the city and around the country.
We in TOV have given in many times in the past in the name of peace and unity in Bet Shemesh in order to increase peace, but this time we can no longer be quiet and give in, as we are witness to the horrible results of what is happening in front of our eyes, and their influence on all the haredi communities across Israel.
This necessary step could bring back the trust between the different sectors in bet Shemesh, dati, secular, and haredi, and it is the need of the hour for whomever Bet Shemesh is dear to him.
The goal of TOV is to mend tears, and not to deepen them, our interest is also to glorify the name of our city and not to distance different groups of residents from it.
If this solution will not be adopted in the form of establishing this necessary rabbinic committee, TOV will be forced to abandon the municipal coalition and serve the entire Bet Shemesh community from the side of the opposition.
With blessings,
Eli Friedman
City Councilman from the TOV faction

Today is the big hafgana against violence and extremism. The hafgana will be at 6 PM on the street outside OROT on Herzog Street.

Some interesting points about the hafgana:

• Many people are coming from around the country to join a rally that began as a local issue but has ballooned into a national issue
• Obviously, with so many different people and groups participating in the same rally, there will be a lot of different agendas on display and at work. 
• Shimon Peres called on people from all over Israel to go to Bet Shemesh to the rally to show the extremists that they do not own the country.
• TOV announced that as many haredim are planning to join the protest, haredim should be sure to stay in the area designated for haredim as many of the other people might be rallying around a cause "different than ours". Some of the other protestors might be anti-haredi. Therefore, "we should stand and protest in the area designated for Haredim. (area designated for haredim? does that qualify as hadarat haredim, or would that only be so if the designated area would be at the back of the hafgana?)
• Mayor of Bet Shemesh Moshe Abutbol said this morning that if he is not officially invited to the hafgana it will prove the hafgana is simply a political ploy against him. He does not understand that this is a protest of the people by the people and against some other people. No politics involved. Though, with so many agendas at work I am sure there will be some with political agendas, however, that is not the focus of the rally. If Abutbol wants to come as a private person protesting extremism and violence, he is invited as much as anybody else.
• In what looks to be an attempt to save face and do some damage control, Deputy Mayor of Bet Shemesh Meier Balaish has announced to his supporters and targets of influence that they are joining the protest. According to the information put out by him, they are meeting at a different location and will parade to OROT while protesting violence.

The latest pashkevil around RBS, and it has been a while since they put up a local issue pashkevil (national issue ones go up regularly) is against TOV.

TOV, led by Eli Friedman, runs the Iryah's department for strengthening youth. Hamachlaka L'ha'atzamat Ha'Noar. As part of their work, they published a chidon, a quiz of sorts, called "Chidon HaShabbos", on the halachos of Shabbos, for the local schools.

In response, his opponents plastered the neighborhood with pashkevils:
The pashkevil talks about the purity of the schools and comes along a party that is founded on rebellion against the gedolim, and therefore the schools, educators and parents should not participate in this chidon, and advertising publications should not publicize it either.

I note that they did not write that they found controversial content in the chidon making it inappropriate, just that the people who published it are rebels.

What is RBS Gimmel?
Ramat Bet Shemesh Gimmel is the designation for the area just over the mountain across the street from Ramat Shilo. It is accessed by the long road up the mountain from the kikar on the entrance to Ramat Aleph. In fact, if you drive up that road, you will see that ALL the roads of Ramat Gimmel are already paved!! It is literally a city with no buildings.
(Note: there is actually RBS Gimmel A and RBS Gimmel B. For this discussion we are discussing RBS Gimmel A only as that is the current area in the discussion.)
This area has been designated by the Misrad Hashikun and the Israel Land Authority as the next stage in the development of Bet Shemesh. Remember, Bet Shemesh 20 years ago had about 35,000 people and today it has over 90,000 people. It is truly a growing city. RBS Gimmel A will have 2,200 housing units. Of this, over 170 are "Bnei Betichah", about 600 are "Micraz Hamishtakan - low income housing", and the rest (1500) are assorted building and cottages.

What has the "fight" been about?
The contention over this land has been that the various populations of the city have been trying to allocate as much of this land as possible for "their people". The Chareidi population wants land for their tzibur, the Dati Leumi population wants for their tzibbur, and we could name many other "groups" that want a piece of the pie. This division has caused the development of RBS Gimmel to stall many times over the last ten years.
Mayor Abutbol has made it his priority to grow Bet Shemesh. Growth includes more people, more housing, more jobs and more building. As the battle lines were drawn between the various political parties in the city the issue got very contentious and personal.
A few weeks ago, the Mayor seemingly reached an agreement with all the parties to divide RBS Gimmel into three sections - Charedi, Dati-Leumi, and Chiloni/General. All the parties signed on this agreement and the process started to move forward.
Now comes the issue.
The Israel Land Authority which actually issues the tenders for the building, refused to include this agreement into their tenders. They maintain it is illegal to set aside certain land for only a certain population. The Mayor tried very hard to push the issue, but they did not budge and the tenders were issued without any designation as to the target population.
A number of parties in the city council felt that the Mayor was reneging on his agreement and "plotting" to make RBS Gimmel "Charedi".
In fact, when the Mayor distributed the tenders to kablanim last week, he specifically included his "recommendations" for which tzibbur each piece of land should be allocated.

An emergency vote was called by some members of the city council to attempt to stall/cancel the building of RBS Gimmel.
This was the vote that took place last night.
The vote ended as follows:
10 votes to continue building - Agudah/Degel Hatorah - 5, Shas - 3, Balaish - 1, Tov - 1
9 votes to stop building - Mafdal - 3, Avodah - 1, Likud - 2, Dor Achar - 2, Moti Cohen - 1

Why did TOV vote for RBS Gimmel?
Tov's position is that Bet Shemesh must continue to grow. We can not grow as a city without building and RBS Gimmel is the next step in this growth process. "Our" tzibbur, as well as other tzibburim need more affordable housing and more space. RBS Gimmel is the logical solution to this problem.

Is TOV concerned about the population that will come to RBS Gimmel?
Of course we are. However, the solution is not to stop the building. The solution is to market the area to the people who we want. (Details will be forthcoming on TOV's group that is forming to market and purchase homes in Gimmel). For those who are more concerned, we can only tell you that in the Mayor's and the city council's perfect world, RBS Gimmel will end up looking very similar to the population of RBS Aleph.

Did the Mayor and others in the city council act and say the appropriate things in regards to this issue?
Absolutely not. Many things could have been done, said, and presented in much better and nicer way. In fact, the protests that were organized were very helpful in driving home this point! People were upset and had a right to be heard. We personally sat with the Mayor for a number of hours (one on one) on Tuesday night. We feel that he now realizes that he vastly underestimated the concerns of many of the residents and he is now working to make sure he does a better job communicating and getting his message across. Specifically, including everyone in these types of decisions and not letting other people in the city council speak on his behalf. Therefore, we still feel that the building must go on. You can not make major decisions that affect the future of the city based on personal disagreements or insults. We need to fix the issues and move forward.

TOV has now joined the Mayors coalition.
Despite reports otherwise, we were offered to join the coalition over eight months ago. Because of the size (14) of the coalition at that time, it did not make political sense to join. We had more say and more opportunities to have input as the opposition. Now that the Mafdal is no longer in the coalition, there is more room for us to have a say from within the coalition. We therefore decided the time was right to join. This was NOT a quid-pro-quo from the mayor for our vote. We voted based on our conviction and opinion.

So to summarize, while the process was not even close to perfect and while many mistakes were made, TOV feels that for the good of Bet Shemesh, building in RBS Gimmel should continue.

We hope to be able to continue to serve our voters and all the residents of Bet Shemesh in the future.
Feel free to email with any questions.
Thank you.
TOV Bet Shemesh

A common occurrence in any area with a haredi population is the removal of flags from cars. For some reason, some feel the need, and perhaps have some insecurity, to remove other peoples displays of patriotism.

In RBS we have such people, mostly in RBS B. Aside from their pwn personal protests they hold every year including flying of the PA flag, black flags, sitting in sackcloth, etc. they also will rip flags off of cars.

Readers have written to me about a group of thugs from RBS B who were stopping cars on the street last night and breaking flags off.

one particular reader mentioned something even more troubling - firsthand testimony.

last night there were about 100 people (including lots of kids) ripping flags off of private cars (and at least one Egged bus that I witnessed), on Hayarden near Ribal. I was driving from RBS towards Bet Shemesh and stopped two police vans that I saw there which were driving around aimlessly, and asked if they were planning to go over there and stop them. They both said yes, don't worry and I followed them each separately as they drove back up Mapilei Egoz.
The first one drove up to the circle near the non-mall and made a U-turn straight back where he came from. The second one drove on ahead of me at three kph in the right lane, I slowed to a crawl right behind him. When he saw I wasn't passing him, he pulled over, and I did the same right behind him. After a few minutes, he drove off and then I watched him drive until the circle with the non-mall, around the traffic circle and make the left towards Ezra V'Achva AWAY from where this was happening. I made the right and drove back up to RBS-A and there were still no police.
Was this a directive that they received? It seems hard to believe that it wasn't.

Why are the police avoiding dealing with these thugs who are endangering the community and themselves (playing in traffic), destroying personal property, destroying the State flag, etc? Perhaps they were simply undermanned and did not want to enter the hornets nest with just two vans? So how come they did not bring backup? Have they been told to avoid conflict with the local biryonim in RBS B? It is possible, as has been suggested from other similar incidents in the past where the police also did not step in when they should have.

Why do the police let this go on? The mayor has said in the past that he will stop such incidents with a heavy hand - is it all just talk to placate people, with nothing behind the words?

Maybe some politicians (hint hint TOV people) can make this an agenda of theirs? It should fit right in with their platform....

A Guest Post by Tov Bet Shemesh

Parking in the Mercaz... What's the solution? Parking Meters?

A Guest Post from Tov - Bet Shemesh

Now that we are a month after the elections and the new Mayor and Moatzah has taken over, we wanted to give you an update from TOV.

After lengthily discussions and negotiations with Mayor Abutbol, TOV has decided (for the time being) to be in the opposition in the Moatzah.

Just some background on the process.
The Moatzah is made of of 17 members. The Mayor must form a colation of a majority of members who will support his initiatives. Members of the collation usually receive responsibilities for certain areas of the government in return for their support. However, coalition members must vote with the Mayor and can NOT speak out publicly against the Mayor or his policies.

As the newest, and smallest party in town, TOV was not offered anything realistic that would help us promote our main agenda's of helping youth at risk, cleaning up the parks and streets, and creating a neighborhood environment where everyone feels comfortable living. We were also, as you can imagine, up against other coalition members who were not too happy to include TOV in the coalition.
Therefore, it has been decided that TOV will remain in the opposition. This will give us the opportunity to speak out against positions and issues that we feel are important to the community and as members of the opposition we also received seats on many of the important "Vaadot" (committees) where most of the decisions get made. The Vaadot that TOV will be on include

* ועדת ביקורת
* ועדה לקידום מעמד הילד וקידום הנוער החרדי
* ועדת משנה לתכנון ובניה
* תמיכות
* הקצאות
* כח אדם
* בטחון
* ונציג מקצועי מטעם תנועת טוב בחברה הכלכלית

On a more practical note, we have met with the Mayor regarding the incidents in Ramah Bet a few weeks ago, and he has assured us that he will be dealing with it very seriously.

Thank you,

Chanukah Sameach,

TOV Bet Shemesh

The Degel people brought Rav Steinman yesterday, under great fanfare to speak out against TOV.
If you read the text below, he speaks out against people who are not completely shomer torah and mitzvos, and don't listen to the rabbonim. If you read the text below, the transcript of what he said yesterday, you will see nowhere any mention of TOV itself.

If he was so upset about TOV that he felt he had to come to Bet Shemesh to dispel any rumors that he is ok with them, and dissuade people from supporting them, why did he leave everything only implied? Why did he not mention them explicitly?



Another thing that disturbs me is the way he implies that there is only one way to do things. Whatever happened to minhag? Whatever happened to machlokes poskim and people following their ravs psak? An example is that he discusses the use of Mayim Achronim. Rav Steinman says that shulchan aruch paskens you have to do mayim achronim, so anybody who does not is making a chillul hashem, even though perhaps it is not such a serious thing.

I don't do mayim achronim because of my minhag. So does that mean I am making a chillul hashem and straying from the path every time I bentch?

Anyway, if you read the text you will see Rav Steinman says that you have to vote for someone who does the mitzvos without leniency, and for sure not for a secular Jew. Only vote for those who do things according to the Torah.

One can even look at this as an endorsement of TOV!

Add to this the following audio recording of a meeting the heads of TOV had with Rav Steinman last week. They went to Rav Steinman because they knew he was against them because he had been told they do not listen to rabbonnim. They went and told him they do listen to rabbonim, and he said then that it is ok.

So it is really a matter of who tells him what. if the Degel people tell him that they do not listen, so he says if they dont listen you cannot vote for them. If TOV people tell him they do listen, then he says it is ok...

A Final Pre-Election Message from TOV

This Tuesday, from 7AM until 10PM, you will have the opportunity to have your say in what the face and character of Bet Shemesh will look like for the next five years.
As you can probably tell from all the speechs, papers, fliers, ads, booklets, other "stuff" in the street, passions are high and people feel that this election cycle is very important.
Everyone has their strong opinion about the Mayoral candidates and everyone has a passionate opinion about which party to vote for.

The most important thing is TO GET OUT AND VOTE.
Do not sit home. PLEASE.

Find your voting station, bring your Teudat Zehut and go vote.
If you are not sure where to vote, or if you need transportation, please call the TOV headquarters at 077-300-9641 and we will be happy to help.

PLEASE.
Its your right and your z'chut to have a say.