The Sephardi Perspective: Aryeh Deri should not run for Jerusalem mayor

This past week has seen a dramatic turn of events in the upcoming Jerusalem mayoral elections. Rumors are circulating that disgraced former Shas political leader Aryeh Deri has decided to run for the top job in Kikar Safra.

The rumors are obviously a test balloon placed by Deri to examine his potential popularity with Jerusalemites. This candidacy would certainly throw a spanner in the works of an already divided election. At the moment, the candidates are businessman Nir Barkat who is the front-runner, followed in the polls by MK Meir Porush of the Ashkenazi haredi party United Torah Judaism (UTJ). Although billionaire and Betar Jerusalem owner Arkadi Gaydamak is also in the running, he is far behind in the polls.

Deri's potential candidacy has already worried Porush and many Ashkenazi haredim. As opposed to Deri, Porush has no non-haredi constituents. Even though Porush has recruited public relations firms to make him more palatable to a secular public, this will never yield more than a handful of extra votes. Unlike current haredi mayor, Uri Luplianski, Porush has never shown any willingness or interest in working outside of the haredi world or contributing to wider society.

On the other hand, the former Shas leader is extremely popular with Sephardim of all religious outlooks who see in him a victim of an Ashkenazi smear campaign which led to his serving two years in prison for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Although many see Jerusalem as either a haredi or an Arab city, there are still some secular and traditional Jews living within its municipal borders. Many of these are Sephardim who live in the poorer neighborhoods of Katamon, Kiryat HaYovel and Kiryat Menahem amongst others. Thus far, Gaydamak has been vociferously courting this vote with the money behind Betar Jerusalem whose support is built on these neighborhoods.

However, these are the neighborhoods where the 'Deri myth' is the strongest.

In 2000, when Deri was convicted and on his way to prison, the stickers and billposters claiming "He's Innocent" and "Look what color can do" were rampant in all the Sephardi neighborhoods. The latter slogan was a comparison with former-president Ezer Weizmann who never even stood trial despite being accused of bribery around the same time as Deri's incarceration.

It is still not clear whether Deri will even be allowed to run in the elections. When Deri was convicted, his punishment carried with it the mantle of "moral turpitude" which at the time meant he could not serve in a public office for five years upon release. While he was in prison this was extended to seven years, but Deri may argue that this is unfair and cannot be applied retroactively. Another scenario which has been touted is for Deri to receive an official pardon from President Shimon Peres.

If Deri is allowed to run in the elections he would immediately be pushed into the position of front-runner. Current Shas political leader Eli Yishai has already expressed his support and Shas spiritual leader Rav Ovadia Yosef's support would inevitably follow.

Porush, fearing this scenario, has already visited Rav Yosef in a bid to receive his total and unequivocal support. If Deri does run, it is incredibly unlikely that Porush would receive Rav Yosef's blessing, especially considering the strained relations between Shas and some Ashkenazi haredi politicians.

However, some of these strains are easing: Shas and the UTJ faction are on the verge of signing a deal where they would work together on the governmental level. For this, Rav Yosef is expected to receive the support of the Ashkenazi haredim for his son, Rabbi Yizhak Yosef, to run unchallenged in the haredi sector for the position of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. This is considered very important for Rav Yosef senior.

Even with all of the horse trading, a Deri candidacy would make him impossible to ignore and Rav Yosef could not close his ears to an important constituency that would be invigorated by Deri's name on the ticket. This is especially important with national elections looming.

In the eyes of this writer, Deri would be a disaster for Jerusalem and would likely only use it as a springboard back to national politics. Although that may seem unlikely in the eyes of many Israelis, there have been many more unlikely "comebacks" and the disgruntled Sephardi masses would be electrified with Deri's return. Since Deri's incarceration there has not been a single Sephardi politician who could invigorate the poorer Sephardi neighborhoods.

Even as mayor of Jerusalem, Deri would further sink the nail in the coffin of our capital city. The secular and dati'im (religious) have left Jerusalem in droves over the last few years, which has only cemented Jerusalem's position as the "poorest city in Israel." This is just compounded by the rumors of corruption and unaccountability in the spending emanating from Kikar Safra.

Deri is an example of all that is perceived as bad in the Sephardi stereotype. We do not want such a person representing us. The former "wunderkind" of Israeli politics could have had it all; he was considered the "kingmaker" for the major parties. Many even felt that Deri stood a good chance of running for the highest executive office. However, he became greedy and believed he was untouchable, perhaps fueled by the knowledge that he had an army of followers who would defend his every move no matter the legality or morality.

Jerusalem deserves a better future than its recent past. For this, it needs a leader who has a track record in achievement and one who can rise above the petty squabbles that places the actual needs of Jerusalem down the list of priorities.

Nir Barkat is such a person and someone who can bring Jerusalem out of its doldrums. Jerusalem needs someone who has a successful business background and who can return our capital city back to its grandeur that many politicians speak of but few actually work towards.

Although it is unclear if recent reports of Barkat receiving Rav Mordechai Eliyahu's support are correct, it is clear that Barkat has already shown his credentials. By supporting a 'dati' candidate for Chief Rabbi against an increasing tide of haredi Chief Rabbis up and down the country, Barkat has shown that he is in touch with the needs of the people and not just one constituency.

Jerusalem needs a unifying mayor and not one who has a track record of criminal behavior and parochial influence.