Despite the tempting offer: The reason Rabbi Zarbib refused to enter politics

As first reported by Channel 14 News, Dayan Rabbi Avraham Zarbib has declined the offer from Religious Zionism party chairman, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to join the party's Knesset list. About a month after it was revealed that the minister had offered Rabbi Zarbib a reserved second spot, it has become clear that the rabbi chose to reject the offer. Sources close to the rabbi say that during the talks between the two, the possibility of him being appointed as a government minister was also raised, but he decided not to enter political life.

Behind the offer lies Smotrich's attempt to expand his party's base of support. As reported by our Knesset correspondent, Avraham Hasson, following the results of the Religious Zionism primaries last week, Smotrich concluded that the current list lacks an additional dimension that would allow it to appeal to audiences in the center of the country and the periphery, beyond the core support identified with the settlement movement.

To this end, the chairman of Religious Zionism examined several candidates for the reserved second spot on the list, including Rabbi Avraham Zarbib. However, after contacts held with various candidates, Alon Davidi, the mayor of Sderot, remains the primary candidate for the position. Smotrich intends to wait with the announcement regarding the reserved spot until the closing of the lists, in order to leave an opening for the possibility that Ofer Winter might join, although at this stage the gaps between the parties remain significant.

According to Rabbi Zarbib's associates, the decision to reject the offer stemmed from his desire to continue working for the general public without political affiliation. The rabbi clarified that he wishes to remain a figure belonging to the entire people of Israel, and not to be identified with a specific political party, despite the senior and honorable offer he received. Rabbi Zarbib currently serves as a Dayan in the regional rabbinical courts in Tel Aviv and Ariel, and continues his public and Torah-related activities.

Rabbi Zarbib gained great fame during the Iron Swords war, when he served in the reserves as a D9 bulldozer operator in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon. During the fighting, he documented his activities, incorporating words of Torah, prayers, and shofar blasts into his videos, and became one of the figures most identified with the fighting spirit of our forces. Following his actions and significant service, Rabbi Zarbib was chosen to light a torch at the last Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl.