In direct contravention of my wife's explicit instructions, herewith I inaugurate my first blog. Long may it prosper.

For some reason, I think I have something to say to you. You think you have something to say to me? Email me at: gideonsblogger -at- yahoo -dot- com

 
I'm inclined to think that, in the broad view of history, it would be a good thing for Jerusalem to elect a haredi mayor, something that seems more likely given that Lkikud looks set to throw their support to Lupoliansky. Either he will figure out how to govern a city with both religious and non-religious citizens, and govern it in a non-sectarian manner, or he won't. If he fails to govern appropriately, he will convince Jerusalemites that the haredim cannot be trusted, and this will hurt his own community but give more momentum to resolving Israel's ongoing religious crisis. To govern appropriately, however, he'll have to make the kinds of compromises that the haredim have avoided in the past by wielding their power unofficially rather than taking official responsibility for governing. This will make the community grow up, and into its necessary responsibilities as a significant demographic segment, and that would be a very good thing.

Here's an early test of a Lupoliansky mayoralty: how are you going to deal with incidents like the recent vandalizing of a Conservative synagogue? Non-haredi mayors, knowing who is the biggest voting bloc in the city, have tended to downplay or ignore violence against Jewish dissenters from Orthodoxy. Lupoliansky will get treated much more harshly for similar pandering to his community's prejudices. Good. I'm eager to see how he handles it.
posted by Noah at 10:45 AM