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As infighting heightens, ultra-Orthodox party on verge of split
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Party
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| Contributor | 411 Name Removed |
| Last Edited | 411 Name Removed Dec 03, 2012 09:25pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Yair Ettingee |
| Media | Newspaper - Ha Aretz |
| News Date | Tuesday, December 4, 2012 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The ultra-Orthodox Degel Hatorah party appeared to be on the verge of splitting Monday night after several members of the party's Council of Torah Sages boycotted a meeting called to finalize its Knesset slate.
Degel Hatorah represents the "Lithuanian," or non-Hasidic, branch of ultra-Orthodox Jewry. But the community has been bitterly divided by a fierce leadership battle since its unchallenged spiritual leader, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, died this summer.
Most members of the community now follow Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman of Bnei Brak. But a sizable minority, centered in Jerusalem, follows Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach - that's the group that boycotted Monday night's meeting.
Though the two factions disagree on many issues, the last straw was Shteinman's refusal to include a representative of the Jerusalem group on Degel's Knesset slate.
Even though Auerbach's faction is small, its departure would be a blow to United Torah Judaism, the joint list comprised of Agudath Israel (which represents Hasidic Haredim ) and Degel Hatorah. Auerbach's faction may well decide against running its own party, since it almost certainly wouldn't draw enough votes to enter the Knesset.
But even merely ordering his followers to stay home on Election Day would cost UTJ votes, and perhaps Knesset seats. That in turn would probably lead to Agudath Israel demanding that Degel's representatives be demoted on their joint list, since Degel would be bringing in fewer votes than before. |
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