Degel HaTorah Leaders Gather Ahead of Elections Following Ouster of Gafni
Degel HaTorah councils and candidates met at Hafetz Haim a month before elections following Rabbi Lando's decision to replace Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev with new figures.
In the presence of the ousted party chairman, members of the "Degel HaTorah" councils and Knesset candidates gathered Saturday evening at the religious kibbutz Hafetz Haim, just a month before the elections.
Lithuanian community leader Rabbi Dov Lando sent personal letters earlier this week to MK Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev, announcing that as part of a renewal in the "Degel HaTorah" representation, the two will leave the Knesset to allow new representatives to enter. Additionally, Rabbi Lando asked Gafni to continue serving as chairman of the national movement.
The announcement followed a report in "HaYom" that "Degel HaTorah" rabbis decided Gafni and Maklev would not continue on the party's Knesset list, and that MK Yaakov Asher is expected to head the list. The move comes against the backdrop of an internal struggle within "Degel HaTorah" over the party's political path and its relations with the government, centered on the conscription law issue.
"We were raised on obedience to the Torah giants"
Ousted "Degel HaTorah" Chairman MK Moshe Gafni spoke for the first time following his ouster at the party gathering Saturday evening, saying: "We were raised on obedience toക്കു the Torah giants. Even when they tell us right is left and left is right, we listen." Yaakov Asher parted ways with Gafni, stating: "If he weren't Haredi, he would be prime minister."
Menachem Shapiro, head of the municipal department in "Degel HaTorah", addressed the High Court's ruling regarding the electors and said: "We still do not have a solution for the High Court's elector ruling. Anyone who has an idea, let them raise it." He added that the possibility of utilizing Haredi seminary girls on election day is being examined. Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the leaders of "Degel HaTorah", sent a letter to the gathering stating: "Let everyone know that these elections are a matter of life and death for us in our current situation."
Meanwhile, "United Torah Judaism" brought social media personnel to the gathering with the aim of producing content and materials tailored to the younger audience.
