Russian Candidate For Yerushalayim Mayor Receives Medal

Jerusalem, Israel -- Two days ago, Yerushalayim mayoral candidate Arcady Gaydamak received a medal for the financial aid he gave to refugees of the second Israel – Lebanon war. His supporters hope this will attract secular residents of Yerushalayim to vote for the Russian billionaire.

Gaydamak is also attempting to take the votes of the small Christian community in the city. To that end, he met with the Pope’s envoy to Israel and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Yerushalayim, and received their endorsements yesterday.

Gaydamak’s biggest strength is his ability to attract the Russian community, which some number to be as big as 300,000. In fact, Russian residents of Yerushalayim were responsible for pushing Gaydamak to present his candidature for the mayor's post.