Former Shas MK Rabbi Chaim Amsellem responded to the media in the case of Shas MK Yigal Guetta, stating HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L would not call to oust Guetta, but would have summoned him and said “Nu, nu, nu” and forgotten the matter entirely.
Guetta has been forced out of the Knesset after he and family members attended a toeiva wedding of a member of the mishpacha and then announced on the air he did so, without shame. Needless to say, many question his judgement for attending and then advertising it on the air of a chareidi radio station, leading to pressure to submit his resignation from the party. There are those seeking to oust him from the party entirely.
Amsellem told Channel 103FM Radio that “toeiva is prohibited by the Torah, and two years ago he participated in the wedding of a gay nephew. This was advertised two years later and he is thrown out”. Amsellem adds that Shas is no longer a moderate Sephardi party as it was, but today it has become like the Ashkenazi chareidi parties like Gafne and Litzman.
Regarding the recent High Court decision to abolish the current arrangement for chareidim to avoid IDF service, Amsellem commented, “I do not like the recent decisions of the Supreme Court, but sometimes they bring us back to sanity. Most of the public likes to hear this, and that makes me dangerous for the chareidi parties, because in their opinion, I endanger the party the party and they distance themselves from me.”
Amsellem, who started his own party, ‘Am Shalem’, has joined Bayit Yehudi and hopes to run on that party’s ticket in the next elections, to vie for a realistic position on their lineup.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Who is he kidding if he thinks he’s going to be placed on Bayit Yehudi’s list wearing that costume? They’ll never allow it. He’ll have to remake himself with a kippa seruga. Bayit Yehudi will never have someone who dresses up like a Chareidi represent it in the knesset.
You can be sure if he says that Rav Ovadia zt”l wouldn’t have objected — that the truth is the opposite.
“Amsellem, who started his own party, ‘Am Shalem.’” So, why is he running with Bayit Yehudi if he started his own party? Answer: there is no “Am Shalem” party. In the elections 2 years ago, he didn’t get the minimum threshold of votes to get into the knesset. So, it’s the name of a non-existent party.
Does YWN have to report everything that comes out of the mouth of this nobody?
Rav Ovadia did not mince his words; he spoke very strongly against sinners. I don’t think he would have too much affection towards MK’s who go to toiva weddings.