"Black Color": The new Haredi party shaking up the balance of power
A new Haredi party named "Black Color" is set to launch ahead of the upcoming elections, aiming to secure draft exemptions for Torah students. By mobilizing mainstream Haredi voters, the movement threatens to disrupt the traditional power base of Shas and United Torah Judaism.
Political drama is unfolding in the Haredi sector: a party named "Black Color" is preparing to launch ahead of the upcoming elections, aiming to compete with Shas and United Torah Judaism, as reported on Saturday's news edition. The organization consists of dozens of rabbis and heads of yeshivas from the mainstream Haredi stream, united by a single goal: to obtain an exemption from IDF service for Torah students.
The organization includes figures from all sectors of the Haredi stream: Hasidim, Sephardim, and Lithuanians, who seek to offer the public a solution regarding the draft based on the principle that "Torah is their craft," as in the past, without sanctions. The party's candidates are expected to be rabbis, not politicians. Currently, the party is focused on returning to the previous status quo and appointing rabbis who will deal exclusively with the draft exemption law.
In-depth surveys conducted in several yeshivas revealed that tens of thousands of Haredim could be mobilized for this issue. This constitutes a political "balance of power," as the figures involved do not come from extremist groups like the Jerusalem Faction, but from the Haredi "mainstream." Thus, the establishment of the party may undermine the concentration of power of Shas and United Torah Judaism, potentially causing a political earthquake.
The party's name refers to the "Black Color" telephone line, which warns of the arrival of Military Police to arrest Haredi deserters, successfully thwarting arrests by inciting riots. About one hundred thousand Haredim are connected to this line, making it a powerful "brand."
Against this background, on Wednesday, Haredi protesters blocked Highway 4 in the Bnei Brak area to protest the arrest of a deserter. The police declared the demonstration illegal, and the road was reopened to traffic by 20:15.
Simultaneously, in Givat Shmuel, protesters were documented chasing and shouting derogatory slurs at an IDF soldier. Givat Shmuel Mayor Yossi Brodny addressed the incident: "I expect every leader in the Haredi public to disavow this phenomenon and stand by the side of IDF soldiers. Whoever wears an IDF uniform and protects us all should walk the streets with their head held high. We will not accept this, not in Givat Shmuel and not anywhere in the State of Israel."
On Thursday, Channel 13 News reported that Israel Porush, former Mayor of Elad and a senior Haredi figure, addressed the crisis between the Haredim and the state. Speaking to youth in Jerusalem, he warned: "You are facing a civil war that will be here with blood in the streets." Porush also criticized a show of imitations of public figures, telling the youth: "Stop imitating the secular."
This documentation adds to evidence of radicalization in Haredi society. Porush is the son of Knesset member Meir Porush from Agudat Yisrael and is expected to follow in his footsteps. If this is what the young Haredi generation is hearing, it is clear where part of the public is heading.
