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Russian-Speaking Billionaire Runs for Jerusalem Mayor
Israeli businessman Arkady Gaidamak announced his candidacy for mayor of Jerusalem on Wednesday. The election will be held in November. His campaign manager will be Arieh Shomer, an experienced Israeli politician who has headed the presidential office, the election campaign for current Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski and is now a member of the Tel Aviv City Council. Ten district campaign offices will be set up throughout the city that will be coordinated by a campaign center.
Gaidamak is counting on Jerusalem’s numerous religious communities for his main support, since they will not be running a single candidate of their own this year. Gaidamak is also popular locally as the owner of the Jerusalem soccer club Beitar. He has been one of the most recognizable people in Israel since the second war against Lebanon in 2006, when he used his own fund to set up refugee camps to shelter the resident of northern Israel.
Gaidamak founded the Social Justice Party, whose candidates intend to run for various offices in 65 cities in the November elections, including for mayor in 20 cities. Gaidamak is known in Russia as the president of the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations of Russia and owner of the Moskovskie novosti (Moscow News) publishing company. He also recently offered to pay part of the expenses of returning two historic religious buildings in Jerusalem to Russian ownership.
www.kommersant.com
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