Will Elad officially become a “Chassidic” town, scoring a victory for Chassidic communities in determining its image?

Deputy Mayor Yisrael Porush, who represents the Chassidic communities, raised during a council session the possibility of changing Elad’s official emblem so that it will be called “the city of Torah and Chassidus.”

Unfortunately, this idea raised such a stormy reaction that the mayor halted the meeting until everyone settled down. The deputy mayor claims that this was done in Bnei Brak and Beitar Ilit. This prompted telephone calls to the spokesmen of both cities.

Rabbi Avraham Tennenbaum, spokesman for Bnei Brak, replied that this was not true, and that the newspaper Hamodia was the one who used this appellation, rather than the municipality. This was where the expression came from, but it is not used in any official capacity.

The spokesman for Beitar Ilit, Rabbi Moshe Friedman, also responded that the word “Chassidus” does not appear in any official city literature or on its emblem, even though it is home to many Chassidim. However, he added that following a request from Chabad city councilor Uri Holtzman, the sign at the entrance to Beitar will be change to say “the city of Torah and Chassidus in the Judean hills.”

Councilman Porush refuses to give up the idea, however. He has asked the mayor to raise the subject in a structured manner.
(SOURCE: COL.ORG.IL)