“The Age of Generals is over; the Age of Mayors has begun.” Haim Bibas, mayor of Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut and chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, may have been the first to say this, but he was commenting on a very apparent trend in the current election campaign.

Historically, popular mayors and heads of local councils have always been courted by the major parties before an election. What is different this time is the way this has intensified so significantly. Bibas, Beersheba Mayor Ruvik Danilovich and several other local leaders have been approached by the major parties again, while Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai has snatched the reins for himself by forming his own party. This can all be attributed to the coronavirus crisis and the way these local leaders have responded. They reached beyond their traditional authority, seizing the initiative to make major decisions on behalf of their constituents.

The most prominent example of this was a vaccination campaign that conflicted with the government’s explicit instructions. The city of Tel Aviv and Ichilov Hospital began vaccinating the staff members of educational institutions, including teachers and pre-school teachers, despite explicit orders of the Ministry of Health and Minister Yuli Edelstein. The vaccination campaign certainly ran counter to the prioritization schedule put together by government experts.

Minister of Education Yoav Galant, the teachers’ organizations and others have all been demanding that educators be among the first recipients of the vaccine. Galant even said, “Teachers and pre-school teachers are responsible for the one thing we value most of all — our children. I demand that they be vaccinated immediately, and I am convinced that the government will approve my recommendation.” Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Edelstein promised to look into it, and even to approve these vaccinations soon, no official decision has been made at the time on the matter.