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"The apparent victory of a secular businessman in Jerusalem’s mayoral elections was greeted with relief by Israelis concerned about the increasing Orthodox character of the city.
Early exit polls Tuesday showed Nir Barkat, a city councilman and high-tech entrepreneur, leading the fervently Orthodox candidate, Rabbi Meir Porush, by several percentage points. The other viable candidate in the race, Russian-Israeli tycoon Arcadi Gaydamak, appeared to be headed for a distant third-place finish in the single digits.
If Barkat’s lead holds, his election would wrest control of City Hall from the hands of the fervently Orthodox.
While Jerusalem’s current mayor, the haredi Uri Lupolianski, is widely seen as sympathetic to secular concerns, his would-be successor, Porush, is not thought to have the same sympathies.
Earlier this month, Porush told a fervently Orthodox crowd that "in another 15 years there will not be a secular mayor in any city in Israel.” His remarks, delivered in Yiddish at a yeshiva, were not intended for public consumption, but Porush was unaware that an Orthodox radio station was broadcasting his remarks live.
Porush’s spokesman acknowledged that the candidate, a veteran fixture of Israel’s Orthodox political scene and a seventh-generation Jerusalemite, is a proponent of Orthodox-only cities.
The apparent victory by Barkat, a self-made millionaire and venture capitalist, returns Jerusalem’s mayoralty to secular leadership at a pivotal time for the Israeli capital."
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