The night began with resounding joy that dissipated the tension, and concluded with big hopes and doubts about the future
It’s tense at Shas campaign headquarters on Shimon Hatzaddik Street in Jerusalem. The large hall, decorated ahead of the arrival of hundreds of campaign activists, is largely empty save for GSS security personnel, some organizers, and production workers. Nothing hints at the celebration planned for two hours hence. At this point, some of the staffers are still afraid there won’t be much to celebrate. The rise in the turnout of the secular public, and rumors of low turnout in the chareidi areas, are a heavy cloud. True, according to the leaks, the Likud is in for a major victory. But the increased number of voters has a negative effect on the chareidi parties, which, as it is, are maximizing their potential voter base. With the rise in turnout, the threshold for each mandate will be higher.
One thing is clear: The traditional cries of gevald are outdated. After three times in one year, as thousands of activists felt their heart sink at the hysterical pressure exerted by the party leaders in the hours before polls closed, it won’t work anymore.
The fact that this time the results were satisfactory as well prove that these cries of alarm are baseless and it is doubtful if next time — who knows, perhaps in just a few months — the worn-out mantra will work again.
Shas attributes its success to the campaign staff, headed by Oren Elimelech, Yaakov Bichler, Avi Lerner, and Asher Medina. They conducted a professional, focused, and emotional campaign that touched the hearts of voters — and that was manifested at the polls.
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