Olympic Judoka Oren Smadja Joins New Political Party

Former Olympic judo champion Oren Smadja announced Wednesday that he is joining the new political party led by Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein. Smadja becomes the latest public figure to sign on with the party, following Aliza Bloch, who announced her membership earlier this week.

In his announcement, Smadja framed his decision as a continuation of his lifelong service to Israel. "This is an emotional and historic day for me and my family. I am embarking on a new path," he said. "Throughout my life I wore Israel's flag on my uniform. I have experienced great peaks in my life and also the greatest pain a father can bear, when my son Omer fell in battle."

Smadja, who lost his son in combat, said the experience deepened his conviction about what matters most. "From all of this, my understanding has grown stronger that there is one thing more important than any political dispute: unity. That we remain as one," he added. "I decided the time has come to take action for the sake of unity."

The formal announcement of Smadja's recruitment masks a far more protracted courtship behind the scenes. According to reports, contacts between the two sides had been ongoing for an extended period, and at one point Smadja had no intention of joining at all. A major factor in his hesitation was the party's dismal showing in opinion polls and its failure to establish itself above the electoral threshold required to enter Israel's parliament, the Knesset.

But Erdan's team refused to give up. They returned to Smadja repeatedly, promising him a senior position on the party list (likely in third or fourth place) and presenting him with assessments suggesting that his joining would itself transform the party's fortunes, adding mandates and ensuring it would clear the threshold.

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