After being left outside the city council established by Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch, the rabbis of Degel Hatorah in Beit Shemesh ordered members of the Lithuanian council not to join the coalition at this stage.
"To the representatives of Degel Hatorah in our city of Beit Shemesh, the question now is about joining the coalition, since at this stage some essential matters of religion are not organized," the rabbis wrote in their letter to members of the Lithuanian Council.
In their letter, the Degel Hatorah rabbis included a barb at members of Agudat Yisrael who joined the coalition. According to them, joining Bloch's coalition in its current constellation is tantamount to a desecration of G-d. "And therefore at this stage it is a desecration, and it is forbidden to enter this coalition," they wrote, possibly hinting at coalition membership comprising a lesser desecration at a future stage when their requirements are fulfilled.
Last Friday, Aliza Bloch announced she had achieved the required majority to form a coalition after signing coalition agreements with the Likud, Jewish Home, and Agudat Yisrael factions.
Agudat Yisrael is expected to receive Deputy Mayor, chairmanship of the Planning and Building Committee, as well as the education and municipal water corporation portfolios.