Shas is reunited and in 'Yahadut HaTorah' knives are pulled out.

While Shas act, at least outwardly, a united front – in their sister party, Yahadut HaTorah, even that they can't do.

Currently, the only battle that has already come to a decision is the campaign, is who will control the advertising and who will control the network organization. Apparently: Degel HaTorah will receive the publication, Agudas Yisrael - namely, Chanoch Zeibert, deputy mayor of Bnei Brak, and a representative of the Ger's central party - the organization.

But this is only the cosmetic battle. For the real Jewish War takes place in private, but also in halls filled with people. The chassidish courts and communities have always been disciplined to a single rabbi.

Here are a few crumbs of the battles we will hear about in the coming weeks, until midnight of the day of submission of lists arranged in the Knesset.

Chassidish Rotation

According to the agreement signed between the particles of Yahadut HaTorah, the representative of the main party must hand over the two year rotation to a Belze representative. Why the main party? Because it is now their turn. Porush of Shlomei Emunim gave two years ago. Eichler of Belze is finishing his two years. Now, it is Ger's turn.

In Ger, they say that they have and will always respect agreements. By hint, they mention the late Rabbi Menachem Porush, a Shlomei Emunim party member who did not do so. Their party members shrug and say: "They are sure they will have six mandates, they are talking about seven, In any case there won't be a need to rotate on the sixth. Let's see what they do when they reach their fixed amount, five mandates. Will they then also agree on a rotation?"

On the one hand, it appears that Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, has been given the directive from his Rebbe to take the role of the minister this time. If that happens, in a situation where he is in the government, who needs the boring and unimportant role of MK?! On the other hand, what would happen if Yahadut HaTorah will not be called to the table of the coalition and the elected Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) refuses to pay her the required dowry? Will they then also agree to the promised rotation?
Ger do not understand the question.
For them there is no such case. Yahadut HaTorah is in the coalition, Netanyahu or any other elected will keep the alliance with the Orthodox. If that does not help them this time, it will help in the future. Do not throw loyal partners into the dustbin of history.

So far everything seems simple. But it is not. Even if you Ger decide to keep the rotation, with whom do you do it? Under the agreement, with Belze. In reality, the Chassidus are trying to revolt against the decision. If until the death of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe they did not want to open the issue out of respect (after all, the father in law of the Belzer Rebbe), today they have no current commitment to the current Rebbe and 'it's about time we grow up , we have stronger power then Vizhnitz, why not get a full representative "? They wonder.

Since so far no census was conducted and the exact number of chassidim is unknown - go argue.

Vizhnitz, for their part, say: "Belze should decide where they belong. For years they identified with Degel HaTorah, they arrived at a very late stage to Agudah, they do not deserve a representative."

Will war begin between the two Chassiduses? On the one hand, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe keeps far away from disagreement and will do anything to prevent it. However, anything is expected.

Third place for the Lithuanian's

Apart from the debate on the rotation, admittedly the Chassidish factor at Yahadut HaTorah is united. Representatives names are known and they could have gone out to the election campaign yesterday.

Squeaks this time are actually heard from the Lithuanian side of the party - in Degel HaTorah. For years there was a unity, with MKs (Ravitz - Gaffney) subject to the decisions of - Hgra"m Shach zt"l, and later Harav Elyashiv zt"l (Gafni - Ravitz and after the death of the last Gafni - Maklev).

Since the death of Hagaon Harav Elyashiv, the leadership of the Lithuanian community passed to the hands of Harav Aharon Leib Steinman. But one tiny sector rebelled.
This is what is called 'the Yerushalmi sector. The group has one thousand subscribers to the paper bearing the flag of rebellion - HaPeles - which means: two thousand - three thousand votes. Not significant in terms of tens of thousands of voters to the party.

The sector will set up a shelf party for the upcoming elections called 'Netzach', which aims to "throw the votes of the Lithuanian community in the garbage." It is understood that the party has no chance of scratching the threshold, and the question is: how big a damage can they cause.

Here we should mention that in the last election (2009) there were many in the Lithuanian public who voted for ... Shas, including a large group of yeshiva students in Modi'in Illit.'s The reason: Contempt honor of Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, when a representative was chosen on the list against his will and opinion. It is difficult to estimate how many attended the protest vote, as the day before election day Harav Shteinman commanded with his voice to vote for Yahadut HaTorah. Nevertheless, it is likely that several hundred people, despite him forgiving-refused to forgive.

If these votes return home, they will balance the expected minimum loss of votes in the case of a Lithuanian shelf Party. Moreover, in this situation, adrenalin will flow in the arteries of the Lithuanian public and will all run to the ballots in a supreme effort for the entire election campaign.

Reality has proven such situations can increase the party's power immensely (see – elections תשמ"ט).

Another goal guiding the spirit of the founders of the shelf Party, besides throwing votes away, is to try and blackmail a third representative of 'Degel'. Their demand is to place Rabbi Menachem Carmel, leading advertising investor of the 'Peles'. This requirement has almost zero chance of admission, since in Chazon Ish 5 they are determined not to place him as a representative.

A reconciliation meeting between the Lithuanian vertexes, Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz, with Lithuanian revolt, Rabbi Menachem Carmel, did not work. The two met, there are no results - and their demands to have third place does not have an answer.

Their force rally did also not work well last Motzei Shabbos. Hundreds came to the rally (according to Degel) or thousands (according to the Peles newspaper), whilst some were made up of curious onlookers. Threats of the future force rally, on 16th Cheshvan – anniversary of Harav Shach's death, has made no impression on anyone in Chazon Ish 5, much to the chagrin of the challengers.

The "new Orthodox" request a representative

So who is the man who will take third place of the Degel HaTorah (seventh place on the unified list)?

The one interested in the position and pushing for it is Modi'in Illit Mayor Rabbi Yaakov Guterman. But his chances are very low.

It is no secret Harav Elyashiv zt"l was strongly opposed to his appointment, and anyone who knows Harav Aharon Leib Steinman knows it's hard to believe that he will place on the list one who constituted a red flag at 10 Hanan street.

Names which have come up are the name of Rabbi Eliezer Sorotzkin from Lev Leachim. In the past, when he made his name as a candidate, Hgra"l opposed on grounds that his Kiruv work will be harmed. But lately there seems to be a chance for his candidacy, as he is very reminiscent of the late Rabbi Avraham Ravitz: pleasant, with outstanding speech rhetoric - in short, a most worthy representative.

Another name that came up recently is the name of Rabbi Itzah Reich, director of the Agudas Yisrael Kindergartens Network and the former mayor of Rechasim.

In between, two sectors are trying to 'show their muscles', though they could not run a real party in the Knesset. The first of these, 'Tov' movement, trying to make it clear that their people will refrain from voting for Yahadut HaTorah. This threat, we must say, has no reality, since even so most of the movement members did not vote for the party and chose to stray (not all, it must be emphasized). Including those who support the National Union, some of those who signed up and voted for Likud and also those who provided votes for Yisrael Beiteinu ("Lieberman is a man," I heard from some of them more than once).

Another sector trying to revive is the "orthodox businessmen." Those who are not associated with 'Tov' principles, but wish to obtain expression for their demands from Degel HaTorah. "We do not consecrate our work like in the 'Tov' movement, but it is important for us that our children are accepted into the orthodox educational institutions without having to open our own institutions," they say.

Since the official 'Tov' movement do not sanctify their jobs (recalling, Hanoch Werdyger stressed in an interview in B'Chadrei Charedim that they are all for the study of Torah, and that only when there is no option to continue learning are they in favor of going to work), there are no clear limits of the difference between the movements.

Moreover, the new sector still have not fulfilled themselves into a party, nor urban (in comparison to 'Tov', who have representatives in Beit Shemesh and Betar Illit), and presumably it will take them a long time to get organized.

Where is the unity?
Attempts to drag the interior - Lithuanian split out to the Yahadut HaTorah as a whole, did not give a good impression this week.

This was when the vertices of the Lithuanian rebelling party, headed by Rabbi Menachem Carmel, tried to get help from Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, and join Ger.

Despite the famous tension between Ger and the Lithuanian sector, Litzman decided not to let him into the bubbling pot. "Don’t interfere with us; we do not interfere with you."

The elections are somehow underway. Soon we will stand in front of the many banners calling you all to unite, close ranks, and give your vote to Yahadut HaTorah. United, of course.


And as always, we know that there is no unity (not even Shas, despite the clatter of cameras and wonderful poses of the trio), the party is conflicted, as always, but close your eyes and put the note in the ballot.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!