[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
In an interview with former MK Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz, the founder of Beit El and builder of yishuvim addresses today’s realities.
Katz explains that the quality of today’s elected officials is not what was seen in the past and while many of today’s politicians remain pragmatic and committed, they lack vision. Today he feels the elected officials do not understand the concept of a visionary, to dream and see into the future. As a result of this reality there are problems, some of which impacting the dati leumi camp.
He feels that while once these elected officials would turn to a rav, the ‘spiritual leaders’ today are journalists and columnists. He speaks of a government today that is negotiating the handover of 94% of “our land” in the “nationalist coalition.”
Katz moves on to the problems facing the nation today such as the yeshivos, chareidi and dati leumi. He questions why politicians no longer address the lack of aliyah, people moving to Israel.
Katz feels the leaders are “bankrupt”, using the Jewish birthrate as an example. “Instead of encouraging the non-frum to have more children they turn to us and pressure us to have fewer children.”
Referring to Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Katz adds “I would not be surprised that at some time in the future the head politician in our camp teams with the leading politician in the secular camp, warning of the results that can emerge from the next election.”
Katz laments the decision to cut ties between the dati leumi camp and the chareidim and Gedolei Yisrael, and the contempt for this community is a grave error. Katz adds the chareidim and dati leumi will be the majority in the country as Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Stanley Fischer states, that this will be the case in 17 years. “We are the spiritual anchor in Israel” he adds, the future of the state and therefore “we must think how to proceed in the coming days.”
QUESTION
But if Bennett did not align with Lapid, we would all be outside [the coalition].
KATZ:
Bennett wishes to be prime minister. He took the Bayit Yehudi and the temporary partnership with Ichud Leumi, which by the way I worked hard to bring about, and we continue to concern ourselves that yishuvim will not be harmed. We are working from the inside. If only the chareidim were inside too. There is no doubt that Bennett wishes to be prime minister, foreign minister of defense minister and he cannot do this with the ‘off the shelf’ Bayit Yehudi party as he did in the last election. Therefore, he is looking ahead as joining forces with Lapid in the next election while we, the Torah and nationalist community are looking ahead to the next election towards joining forces.
Katz explains that despite the issues, he is pleased the dati leumi party is inside the coalition because it is the only stop gap to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu giving away more areas of Eretz Yisrael. He explains that the prime minister is bad enough since he continues with construction freezes, preventing building but at least the party is preventing him from handing over additional areas of Yehuda and Shomron. I am glad we are in the coalition if for no other reason other than Eretz Yisrael.
“I believe the connection with the tzibur that does not exactly love Torah was superfluous. To my sorrow, today we do not have gedolim who are leaders of the caliber of Rav Tzvi Yehuda (Kook). The rabbonim today are weak. They are not strong — they do not appear politically strong… We can return to the old days if we work hard.
See the Hebrew interview:
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
The Religious Zionist party is Bayit Yehudi. Their decision to ally with Lapid rather than the Hareidim is what started the “war” that he now bemoans. If Bayit Yehudi wanted to form a coalition with Likud and the Hareidim, that’s what would happen.
His faction is a giant loser since the hareidim as allies they might have had significant influence, but with the hareidim as their enemies they lose everything SINCE A POSSIBle outcome would trade the settlements for an end to conscription.
the Torah and nationalist community are looking ahead to the next election towards joining forces
Nice Dream, Reb Katzela.
The Torah World is not interested in joining with the Torah/Nationalist world now or EVER (with sorrow!!)
#1 One little problem, UTJ and SHAS declined to meet with Bayit Yehudi when Bennet called for a meeting.. A few missing facts that could have changed the entire horizon. Also Likud avoided Bennet like the plague, hard to band together with those who won’t meet or talk to you.
To Zionflag:
In other words, if there is initially nobody to talk to either at UTJ, Shas or Likud, it is OK to disregard your own rabbinical advice and harm the Religious Zionist agenda to advance your political agenda?
In your lust to promote Dati Leumi values you seem to lose focus of the bigger picture. We just read an article where a prominent political leader of the Dati Leumi camp unequivocally spells out that Naftali Bennett and Co. has abandoned the age old edict of listening to Rabbis and decided to partner with a man that has no shame in harming the religious sector. There have been many opportunities where Bennett could have partnered with Chareidi factions. In fact, even today he could choose to change course and align himself with UTJ and Shas, yet he chooses not to. Let’s not act oblivious to this reality and feign Bennett as a sheep without anyone to speak with. If Torah values were dear to him, there is no possible way to partner with Lapid – period – even if he can’t advance his political agenda. Especially when his personal political career is at the expense of the Torah world.
Make no mistake – there are no missing facts in this article. Rather you are disenchanted with reality, looking to bolster a skewed view and intensify the sins committed to Religious Zionism.
Habayit Hayehudi is not the MIzrachi, but a coalition of nationalistic parties – they received twice the vote that the Mizrachi did in the past. So it is not necessarily a religious party, which is perhaps behind Ketzele’s remarks.