Shimon Katznelson, one of the candidates for the mayoralty of the city of Ashdod running against the current mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasry, launched a campaign including incitement against the haredi public.
According to him, if the current mayor Dr. Lasry is elected for a third time, Ashdod will "become Bnei Brak".
"Are we going in the direction of darkness, are we heading towards haredization, are we heading toward Bnei Brak, or we are changing it and going towards an open city, a city everyone wants to live in, a city of young people, a city we can be proud of. That's what I propose that each of you choose on October 30," Katznelson explained in his election video on his Facebook page.
A few weeks ago, cassettes were released in which another mayoral candidate, Helen Gelber, seemed to be heard excoriating the haredi public.
On the tapes she was allegedly heard saying she thinks "the haredim love money, and they're worse than everyone else." According to her, it is possible to "buy" the haredim with suitcases of money, and she believes haredim also bring "dead" documents to the polls and have a "120% voting rate". Later she clarified that these were forged tapes.
The haredi and religious public in the city will ultimately support current mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasry, considered a pragmatist who wants to maintain status quo in the city.
