Just ahead of the meeting of Rabbinical leaders in Beer Sheva surrounding the issue of the upcoming municipal elections, members of local interest groups, together with members of the municipal division of Degel Hatorah, published a falsified letter that had supposedly been signed by Hagaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky in support of a different party that had separated from Shas.

Rabbi Kanievsky’s household issued a statement over the last 24 hours stating that he had not signed any such letter and that it was a forgery.

A member of the Shas party told the Bchadrei Charedim news outlet that: “Over the last few days, according to all internal polls, the party in question will not surpass the electoral threshold. Due to the polls, someone in that party panicked and is, therefore, using underhanded means such as creating forgeries of letters signed by Gedolim in order to splinter the Religious vote in Beer Sheva and weaken the Shas party. Tomorrow, the President of Shas Metzes Chachmei Hatorah, Hagaon HaRav Sholom Cohen will participate in a mass gathering the likes of which Beer Sheva has never seen before. This same party publicized flyers stating that the gathering has been canceled. They are acting out of desperation.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)