R' Aharon Leib Shteinman's supporters threaten the life of R' Shmuel Auerbach

Rav Shmuel Auerbach

On the eve of the Tuesday’s municipal elections in Jerusalem, a threatening note was found on the car of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach telling him to “Close down your party, or your blood will be on your head.”

ARUTZ SHEVA 7 (http://bit.ly/14lhyYN) reports that the threat is possibly the latest escalation in a battle for power within the Lithuanian haredi community following the death of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv in July of 2012.

Following Elyashiv’s death, Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman assumed the leadership role in the community, but Auerbach and his supporters still insist that Auerbach is best suited to lead the Lithuanian Ashkenazic haredi community.

Hence, Auerbach is backing a new party, the Bnei Torah party, in the upcoming elections against the mainstream Degel Hatorah, which carries the endorsement of Rabbi Shteinman.

Further, Auerbach has endorsed Nir Barkat for Mayor of Jreusalem over Rabbi Shteinman’s choice, Moshe Lion.

Last week, Shteinman accused Auerbach and his supporters of undermining “The age-old authority of Judaism’s sages,” while insisting that haredis have an “obligation to vote for Degel Hatorah, which is the party that has received the approval of the rabbis and the Torah sages.”