While one may have hoped the issues at hand would have taken priority, compelling MKs from Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael to focus on gaining support before the general election – but unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case.
In an interview with Chadrei Chadarim, Degel MK Moshe Gafne made his position poignantly clear. He questioned rhetorically “Why should they get the first slot. We all know we are bigger than they are, representing more people. The Jerusalem mayoral race showed everyone that they do not represent us.”
Rav Gafne is working to turn around the current reality in which Agudah maintains the first slot and Degel the second. There is also the matter of replacing Degel leader Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, who has announced his retirement, and of course, the in-fighting and tensions remaining from the Jerusalem mayoral race between Rav Yaakov Litzman and Rav Meir Porush. It is also no secret that there was no love relationship between Ravitz and Gafne, and with Rabbi Ravitz taking leave of the Knesset, there will be much backstage motion towards securing his slot at the helm of the party list.
One may feel writing about such matters is tantamount to spilling gasoline on the flames, but in all honesty, this just scratches the surface, to make readers aware of ongoing tensions, not daring to report on the ongoing day-to-day strife that dominates the lives of many an Ashkenazi chareidi politician weeks before the general election while many feel the time could be better spent.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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4 Responses
It surprises me that “Yeshiva” world news spreads such loshon hara and rechilus. Is there any heter for such gossip?
Yes there is a heter. Heter mayoh rabonim.
things are this way simply because each one of these evil zionist politicians manipulates and abuses the bame of a different gadol.
What’s wrong with open discussion of politics. Gossip is saying the such and such politician eats zionist chickens (off topic: if a chicken supports the Israeli government, all the more reason to eat him), or such and such politician thinks about politics and economics on Shabbos, etc. Arguing about how frum Jews are represented, what we should ask from the Israeli government, what issues are most important to us, etc., are prefectly legitimate subjects for weekday discussion.