Speaking with Moti Lavi of Kol Berama Radio, Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett explained there are segments of the chareidi tzibur that believe in his party, its integrity, and he knows they will be supporting him. Following are excerpts from that interview.
Bennett explains that support for the party is growing. Recent polls predict if elections were held today, Bayit Yehudi would increase from its current 12 seats to 19, becoming the second largest party in Knesset.
Do you think you are suited to become prime minister?
This is not the objective and I prefer to speak about objectives that we seek to achieve.
But you are heading there so let’s talk about it. It is realistic. Why don’t you simply say ‘yes’ and admit it.
Because it is a process, a learning process. This is the only Jewish country we have. We do not have another and we must protect the country.
Perhaps if Lapid breaks away you can avoid elections and bring in the chareidim. Which do you prefer?
Anything is preferable to elections. Despite predictions that the party would grow significantly, it is bad for the nation and it is costly. Hence, party interests’ aside, I am against elections and will work to prevent early elections.
Many accuse you of turning the National Religious Party into a Second Likud
I do not accept this criticism for it is not accurate. We have not changed and still believe in Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael. The difference is the base. We draw our strength from Toras Yisrael, not Jabotinsky, and therefore one cannot even attempt to compare us to Likud.
We believe in military service, limud Torah, working, and Eretz Yisrael. Those who do not wish to accept this then we are not the home for you. We are leaders but we have our beliefs and we are not in any way comparable to Likud. Anyone who thinks that the party will only address issues that impact our tzibur is also mistaken. We must and are addressing the issues that impact the entire nation.
What is your position on two nations for two peoples?
We are opposed to another nation being established in the borders of Israel. Anything west of the Jordan cannot be transformed into yet another Arab nation. This is the position of Ayelet Shaked too although some have quoted her as saying the contrary, which is not accurate.
What is the secret to your success?
Hard work and emunah in HKBH and Eretz Yisrael.
What is your beef with the chareidi media?
I have never been an enemy of chareidim but there are those in the chareidi media working hard to portray me as such.
How are relations with chareidi political leaders like Gafne, Deri & Litzman?
I am in touch to some degree but I hope in the coming months the barrier will be removed and relations will be improved. The absence of the chareidim in the coalition and the first year of the coalition was most difficult and it carried a price. I am now looking forward and hope relations with the chareidim will improve. I realize the need to show more awareness towards this unique population and most of all I have learned that everything must be accomplished by dialogue and not force.
I genuinely wish to bridge the gaps but I remind you that two are needed to accomplish this.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
The article’s title is “Bennett: There are Chareidim Who Believe in Us”, which implies that this is either the main theme of the interview or at least a strong view of Bennett’s. Yet, nowhere in the article does it mention anything about any chareidim believing in the Bayit Yehudi party.
Words are so cheap
North Korea,ISIS use similar vocabulary
Someone name please the last era that Bennet stood for judaism?
The charedim should have worked closer with charda’l in the past,and should do so
In the past, Likud was arguably better for tradition than Bennet’s clique,and worked more or less together with the charedim.
hmm..Who went out and with loudly declared intent destroyed the Traditional Pact?
Bennett is speaking the truth, listen to the whispers in communities in Israel, there is the increasing group of working Charedim that feel they are being marginalized, ignored and pushed aside.
When a pillar of a community is deleted or ignored — they become bold, pro-active and work to success. Leadership has to finally SEE & be AWARE of the ground swell.
Zionflag, surprising as it is ,is partially correct.
It is a big problem.
Fortunately however
,working Charedim picked through way through the nebulous smokescreen and nefarious fog that rivals the plague of Egypt and have in the recent momentous votes gave great proof throughout the globe as to where loyal allegiance still is
The headline was misleading, but it raises the idea of what is “hareidi”. If “hareidi” means someone who is strictly Shomer Mitsvos (which how many hilonim use the term), than most of the Dati Leumi are “hareidi”. If “hareidi” means rejecting the idea that the creation and preservation of Medinat Yisrael is required by halacha, then almost by definition anyone supporting Bayit Yehudi is non-hareidi. Clothing and language are meaningless as guides, since many very anti-zionist, strict in halacha people where western clothes and speak modern Ivrit.
“We believe in military service, limud Torah, working, and Eretz Yisrael. Those who do not wish to accept this then we are not the home for you.”
Yes, with statements like that, he’s sure to bridge the gaps. Divide & conquer.
So I guess all the thousands upon thousands of American Yungerleit/Bnei Torah who have made an Aliyah, should get lost & go back to wherever they came from! All the Yeshiva Bochurim & Seminary girls should take a hike!
Bennett is just an arrogant ——-! But then again, no he’s not at all influenced by his non religious wife. No, it has nothing to do with it.
#4
“In the past, Likud was arguably better for tradition than the Srugim,and worked more or less together with the charedim”
– Likud was better for tradition since it USED to be a party supported by Sephardim, these same Sephardim have moved their support to SHAS, BAYIT YEHUDI or more right wing (Marzel)parties ‘
So you admit that your BAYIT YEHUDI has been worse than Likud was?
‘Attitudes towards settlements have changed since Beitar, Kiryat Sefer, Pisgat Zev, Givat Zev were built and established. These kehillos are either a majority of Charedim or have large pockets of Yeshivish suburbs. Security, Army surveillance, monies for infrastructure, are all part of being a SETTLEMENT or as normally called “A Yishuv in Yehuda and Shomron”. ‘
On the “street”,possibly.
The leaders of kiryat sefer loudly proclaimed that if they’re being forced into choosing between
west bank of Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael
the answer is self evident
UTJ policy has always strongly been it is far more important as that the people of Tel Aviv be jewish than the peoples of the west bank
and yet Meir Porush was nominated 6-7 years back by some of the leadership as the MK who did more for the settlers than any other
He wants to bridge with the Chareidim?! The absence of the Chareidim was difficult?! who rejected an agreement with Shas and UTJ and went instead to support the most anti-chareidi Lapid in the past 66 year?!
Who offered to back the Stern Giyur bill?!
It’s all politics and selfishness – Yesh Atid is gone he needs a different partner before the Bnei Akiba Rosh Yeshiva’s look for a different party to vote for.
#7
Not getting involved
well said
Divide & conquer
While I believe that Zion Flag is an intelligent person, he is arguing against rock-solid facts. Here are the facts explaining how his party runs contrary to haredi values. (I am a working Haredi living in North America. There are no spin on these facts.)
-Bennett’s has voted for forced conscription and jail time for refuseniks, which was opposed by the Torah observant community. UTJ and Shas voted against it. There were Dati Leumi Rabbis on record against it. One MP in Bennett”s party voted against it.
– He is aligned with a party that is proudly anti-charedi,(Yesh Atid) , a party who ran their successful one trick pony campaign based on attacking the Haredim.
– Bennett’s vote is his approval. He voted to cut Yeshiva subsidies and child benefits, which look good on Yom hadin, when you have to explain why you attack the poor. I am not talking only about charedi, but the astonishing level of poor (secular) children in Israel. My Yeshiva I attended was also cut.
None of these are aligned with ” Charedi values”.I believe a person has to separate the love of Israel(I love Israel), from the government( which isn’t the best example of Jewish behaviour).
“who rejected an agreement with Shas and UTJ and went instead to support the most anti-chareidi Lapid in the past 66 year?!”
Any discussion of value MUST include honesty, integrity and the facts. The QUOTE above is neither. The reason Reb Noah zt”l established ‘Honest Reporting’ was for the first word…..since anything else lowers ‘kavod shamayim’.
“The leaders of kiryat sefer loudly proclaimed that if they’re being forced into choosing between west bank of Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael the answer is self evident” –
This is not a game of CHOOSING, this is the reality that funds, security and infrastructure building is needed in these areas and will be provided by funding for Yehuda & Shomron. There is not a loud voice begging disengagement from these areas by Charedim in order to further the peace brokerage. The saga of pikuach nefesh & giving up land is OLD NEWS and has been revamped by Chachom Ovadia and all modern day Gedolim.
Zionflag, please respond to my facts. I don’t understand how you can really believe that Bennett is compassionate to the Haredim.
Glorious has been the working Charedim’s loyalty and dear allegiance
avreichim should showmore gratitude and be remonstrated to build a stronger kesher
Not getting involved,
Bennett was not talking about living in the land when he said that this is not the home for you.
He meant that the Bayit Yehudi party is not the home for one who does not believe in military service, limud Torah, working, and Eretz Yisrael. This is just like UTJ saying that if you don’t believe in Torah minhashamayim, than UTJ is not for you. Nothing wrong with that.
working Charedim and voters of SHAS invariably have given up their narrow self interests and despite every possible obstruction ( the above article is one more) and often unfortunate lack of appreciation, all for greater good and out of fealty,
What is more dearer and Glorious?
#12
“The QUOTE above is neither.”
Well,well, you better inform Shaked.She disagrees
Even though I am presently not living in Israel, when I did live there I voted for UTJ.
This article, could really be addressed to a Jew like myself because, just like many Americans “believed” in Obama back in 2008, some “hareidim” like myself “believed” in Bennett. He seemed to have” vision”. I told my friends and family in Israel that I believed in Bennett. I thought that if a Chardalnik like Katzele would support Bennett’s restructuring of the party that it must be “kosher.” I thought that the integration of hareidim into the Army would be done in a manner that did not involve coercion, that would be similar to the way many thousands of hareidim had done in the past.(After marriage, when most young men know where their place is, and do not risk any spiritual danger from going out into the secular world.)Then came the stark realization, after the election:
First, the deal with Lapid
Following in quick succession. the budget which is meant to force hareidim into submission (even at the expense of the other poor, as well), a conscription bill that was, in no way, meant to serve the hareidi tzibur, the gross interference with the hareidi educational system that has withstood attacks from the State’s founding.
The real face of this new party was revealed, however, not only in it’s attack against the hareidi tzibur but in it’s cooperation with parties in the government to destroy the Jewish character of the State, changes that contradict the establishment of the State as one which is Democratic but Jewish. There is no such thing as “rights” that supersede the Torah.
These changes involve a beginning of recognition of non-traditional marriage, and now,changes in authority to perform conversion.
This party, as it is run by Bennett, is destroying the Religious Zionist movement.
I totally contradict what Bennett has said .
I can say that I’m a “hareidi”, who “believed” but now I rue the day and hope that I can do tesheuvah for my past transgression of recommending his party.
Perhaps if we could form a party that makes no compromise in religious matters and also vigorously supports Jewish presence in Shomron and Judea, I would support that…some kind of fusion between Porush and Katzele…(or maybe a Tekuma offshoot) but I think that unlikely and I will only support UTJ in the future, as I formerly did.
It matters little how much of Eretz Yisrael is settled if the Torah is forgotten. The Torah is our main strength!