Speaking with Kol Chai Radio on Tuesday night the eve of 22 Teves 5774, Yahadut Hatorah’s Rav Yaakov Litzman stated that it is preferable to go to new elections rather than to enter the coalition today.
Litzman explains it is not just the effort to draft bnei yeshivos into the IDF, but it is the overall abhorrent attitude towards chareidim under this administration; the cuts in monthly child allowance payments that have sent an additional 50,000 children to the ranks of poverty and the cuts in budgets for yeshivos.
Litzman explained “anyone who thinks they can approach us and that we will enter the coalition today is sorely mistaken,” clarifying this is not an option at present. He explained that the events over recent months compel the chareidim to “conduct a cheshbon nefesh regarding the Likud party” and he stated there is no chance the chareidim will enter the coalition if asked. His anger towards Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was evident in his tone, explaining how the former partner of the chareidim has turned his back on them big time in this administration.
Regarding the planned trip to the USA by the Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisrael, Litzman explained the admorim have not asked anyone to join but those wishing to do so are welcome.
Kol Chai reports that MK Rav Yisrael Eichler, who is close to the Belzer Rebbe Shlita, has turned to Shas and asked the Sephardim to send representatives to the USA to participate in the event.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Lets get all the rabbi we can
If the Likud ( presumably together with Bayit Yehudi) agree to end conscription, and to drop any policies targetted at hareidim, I’m sure that Degel ha-Torah, Agudah and Shas would jump at the chance to join the government, and with far fewer demands on Likud than Yesh Atid or Livni make. Unless Labor is willing to offer to get rid of conscription, there isn’t really any value of a new election since it will still lead to an anti-hareidi coalition unless Likud can be persuaded to compromise.
It was clear from the get-go that: (a) this government was going to (finally) seriously address the issues of Israel’s charedi society (i.e., military/national service, preparation for/integration into the workplace, weaning off of government handouts) and (b) that UTJ could not be seen as agreeing milechatchilla with what must be done, so (c) they will be sitting in the opposition for a few years. It will be a while then before anyone offers UTJ to join the coalition and the government. In the meantime I suppose we must resign ourselves to a steady diet of theatrics from UTJ MKs.