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As politicians seek to rally their bases ahead of the vote, a deputy mayor from Yair Lapid’s party ordered the removal of Moshiach flags from city streets, declaring that “messianism” would not be allowed to take over public space. The move has drawn criticism as an attempt to curb open religious expression, particularly as other ideological symbols remain visible in the public sphere.

The controversy began about a week before the elections, when Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Adv. Assaf Weiss, a member of Yair Lapid’s party, instructed municipal inspectors to remove Moshiach flags displayed around the city, including near the Chabad House at the corner of Re’eh and Chibat Tzion streets.

Weiss defended the decision in a Facebook post, writing: “We will not allow messianism to take over our public space!”

The organization Chotam responded by accusing the municipality of applying a double standard, noting that progressive flags were displayed with municipal funding while Moshiach flags were being removed. The organization also pointed to the irony of the decision being made near the intersection named after Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook.

Following public criticism and Chabad.Info’s report on the incident, Deputy Mayor Adv. Zohar Yesharim announced a reversal. After speaking with the head of the city’s security department, he said he had instructed that the Chabad flags removed near the Chabad House be returned to their place.

“We will not allow faith to be silenced or a community to be excluded from our public space—certainly not Chabad,” Yesharim wrote.

The decision marks a reversal in the dispute, with the Moshiach flags set to return to the streets near the Chabad House.

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