Agudat Yisrael Internal Conflict Over Knesset Slate

A meeting of the Agudat Yisrael council in Bnei Brak dissolved in chaos Monday evening during a vote to approve the party's slate for the 26th Knesset, after representatives of the Ger Hasidic dynasty demanded the removal of former MK Moshe Shimon Roth, a representative of the Tsanz Hasidic community, from the fifth position on the list.

The session took place against a backdrop of internal tensions within the faction and as part of the process of finalizing an agreement with Degel HaTorah, the Lithuanian haredi party with which Agudat Yisrael runs on a joint list called United Torah Judaism. Agudat Yisrael secretary-general Hanoch Zeibert presented the party slate for approval, with voting conducted on each candidate individually.

Initially, the candidacies of Yitzhak Goldknopf, Meir Porush, Elyakim Stark, and Yaakov Tessler were presented and approved unanimously. However, it then emerged that Ger representatives at the meeting were seeking to remove Roth from the fifth position on the list.

The demand triggered an uproar in the meeting, which was suspended without a vote on Roth's position. Sources within Agudat Yisrael told Kikar Hashabat that the background to the removal attempt was Sanz's refusal to commit that Roth would vote in the Knesset according to the instructions of the party's central leadership, which is controlled by Ger, on all votes.

This follows several instances in the previous Knesset where Roth acted according to directives from the Sanz Rebbe rather than party leadership. The move sparked anger among figures in Agudat Yisrael, particularly regarding the manner in which it was carried out. Roth himself attended the meeting and was reportedly stunned to hear during the session about the demand to remove him from the fifth spot.

A senior Agudat Yisrael figure criticized the handling of the matter, saying: "This is a humiliation of a member of the Council of Torah Sages. We will not remain silent."

During the meeting, MK Meir Porush delivered sharp criticism of the conduct within Agudat Yisrael and in negotiations with Degel HaTorah. Porush said Agudat Yisrael was harmed in negotiations with Degel HaTorah after what he described as instances during the current term where figures damaged people within Agudat Yisrael: "We are not united and this is the result."

He also warned of a situation where Agudat Yisrael representatives would receive government positions and the Norwegian Law would be activated, allowing ministers to be replaced in the Knesset by the next person on the list: "If we reach a situation where we take positions in the government and the Norwegian Law is activated, Agudat Yisrael's presence in the Knesset plenum will barely be visible."

At the same time, the Shlomei Emunim faction headed by MK Meir Porush appointed 14 new members to Agudat Yisrael institutions. The National Council of Agudat Yisrael approved the appointments Monday in accordance with a resolution proposed by the faction chairman.

The list includes faction representatives in local authorities throughout the country, representing the diverse communities of Agudat Yisrael. Among those appointed are senior figures from the main haredi cities: Beitar Illit, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in Illit, Jerusalem, Elad, Tiberias, and Haifa.

Porush welcomed the move, saying the appointment of new members would bring "additional and important perspectives to the decision-making table."

The storm surrounding the attempted removal of the Tsanz representative, alongside the internal tensions and power struggles within Agudat Yisrael, comes at the height of the process of finalizing the slate for the 26th Knesset and approving the agreement with Degel HaTorah.