This week, MK Avigdor Lieberman, who chairs the Yisrael Beitenu party, attacked the pre-IDF mechina yeshivot, which he labeled “religious militias”, resulting in harsh responses from prominent figures in the religious Zionist community. In a rare event, Lieberman has written a column appearing in a dati leumi Shabbos handout that is distributed widely, to thousands of shuls nationwide. In his column, he attacks Bayit Yehudi, Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked, promising to assist the religious rabbonim [as opposed to chareidi rabbonim].

In his column, “Longing for the NRP Party of [Zevulun] Hammer”, Lieberman writes in the מצב הרוח handout, which prints tens of thousands of copies, which are distributed to thousands of dati leumi shuls nationwide, “To all the elected public officials who pretend to represent the dati leumi community, they align themselves with the chareidi parties and abandon their constituents while embracing the beliefs and interests of the most stringent elements in religious society. The Bayit Yehudi party, which pretends to be a religious Zionist party, prefers to permit the chareidi sector to increase its control of religious institutions instead of supporting its rabbonim.”

Lieberman adds the abandonment of the community can be seen via Knesset legislation, in which Bayit Yehudi MKs advance legislation that is “is completely contrary to the hashkafa of its electorate”.

He adds as one who worked with and has become well acquainted with the dati leumi party of the late Zevulun Hammer Z”L and Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, the former National Religious Party, it is painful to view the change that the party has undergone, now a party ruled and run by the chardal (chareidi dati leumi) faction. “As the chareidi monopoly increases, the dati leumi vanishes more from the scene” he adds.

He turns to those dati leumi rabbonim who are followers of Beis Hillel, asking them to make their voices heard and to begin working for the entire Jewish community. “The religious services in government are entirely in chareidi hands” he laments, warning of the “emergency situation” that exists as a result.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)