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February 21, 2003/Adar1 19 5763, Vol. 55, No. 26
New Orthodox Jerusalem mayor causes concern
MATTHEW GUTMAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
TEL AVIV - The appointment of an acting mayor in Jerusalem has provided a new source of religious-secular tensions in the sharply divided city.
On Feb. 16, after Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert announced his resignation so he could take a seat in the Knesset, he was succeeded by Deputy Mayor Uri Lupoliansky of the fervently Orthodox Agudat Yisrael Party.
Lupoliansky, the first fervently Orthodox Jew to lead Israel's capital, is likely to remain mayor until municipal elections are held in October.
Lupoliansky's appointment reflects the ascendancy of the fervently Orthodox parties in Jerusalem's City Council - of eight deputy mayors, six are fervently Orthodox.
Anat Hoffman, the director of the Israel Religious Action Center and formerly a Meretz legislator in the City Council, said she believes his "major test will be his attitude toward Progressive Judaism."
Lupoliansky has been asked to meet soon with Rabbi David Ellenson, the president of the Reform movement's Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion.
Dudi Zilberschlag, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Orthodox affairs, expressed the stance of the fervently Orthodox Council of Torah Sages when it comes to meeting with officials from the liberal Jewish streams.
"The sages prefer to deal with Hamas or the evangelists than Reform. We pay and are willing to pay a very high price to keep Orthodoxy."
Meanwhile, Roni Alon, a city councilwoman for the secular Jerusalem Now Party, has already reached her verdict about the new mayor.
A fervently Orthodox mayor would ban soccer games on the Sabbath, halt funding to museums that operate on the Sabbath and not issue licenses to the few restaurants and caf‚s open in Jerusalem on Friday nights and Saturdays, she said in an interview with Ha'aretz.
Lupoliansky pledged as one of his first steps as acting mayor to maintain the status quo on matters of religion and state in the city.
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