First Female Candidate Joins Ultra-Orthodox Party List for Knesset

Dr. Nechumi Yaffe, a prominent ultra-Orthodox researcher, announced on Monday her decision to join the "Haredi Public" party led by Motti Leitner to run for the 26th Knesset. This marks the first time an ultra-Orthodox political party running for the Israeli parliament has included a female candidate on its electoral list.

Dr. Yaffe, 50, is a resident of Jerusalem and a mother of three. She is a researcher in political psychology and has spent the past year working at Harvard University on a study focusing on the ultra-Orthodox sector within the "Israel and the Regional Economy" project. She also serves as a senior faculty member and researcher at Tel Aviv University.

In 2020, Dr. Yaffe was appointed as a special advisor on ultra-Orthodox affairs to the National Security Council (NSC), where she focused extensively on addressing poverty challenges within the Haredi community.

Following the October 7 massacre, she established an ultra-Orthodox civilian command center, mobilizing tens of thousands of Haredi volunteers to provide extensive assistance to displaced residents from the Gaza envelope and bereaved families.

Dr. Yaffe was raised and educated within the Slonim Hasidic dynasty in Jerusalem. She previously worked as a teacher of religious laws and history at the "Old" Haredi Seminary and the "Branch" seminary. Additionally, she authored the history curricula for the 11th and 12th grades used across all ultra-Orthodox girls' seminaries.