Jerusalem city council member Shmuel Shkedi, former assistant mayor of Jerusalem for many years, who is in his 60s and now heads the national religious United Jerusalem faction, suffered a stroke on Thursday at his Jerusalem home.
He was taken by Magen David Adom paramedics to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, and from there was transferred to the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer where Srugim reports he underwent an intracranial catheterization.
Srugim further notes that Shkedi's condition is still defined as critical, and that at this stage it is still unknown if Shkedi will be able to return to his role on the city council.
Aryeh King, Shkedi's fellow United Jerusalem council member, told Arutz Sheva that Shkedi is "a strong man who is important to Jerusalem. I wish him a complete recovery and ask the entire public to pray for the recovery of Shmuel Yirmiyahu ben Breyna. We need him back in the Jerusalem municipality, and quickly."
The unfortunate event comes amid news of a smear campaign aimed at removing pro-Jerusalem activist King from re-elected Mayor Nir Barkat's coalition.
United Jerusalem won two seats in the recent municipal elections, running as a breakaway list from Bayit Yehudi, which received only one seat. Upon joining Barkat's coalition, the experienced Shkedi was named chairperson of the city's Finance Committee as well as chairperson of the Coalition, while King received chairperson posts on the Environment Committee as well as the Emergency and Security Committee.
After joining the coalition, Shkedi promised that he and King would use their posts to work for the benefit of the Religious Zionist public and for the city of Jerusalem.
During his years as assistant mayor representing the now-defunct National Religious Party (Mafdal), Shkedi was known for working to obtain and build school buildings, Bnai Akiva and Ezra youth group centers and Emunah daycare centers for the religious Zionist population of Jerusalem, as well as synagogues and mikvahs for new neighborhoods.