Primaries in the name of Halacha: The ultra-Orthodox party that seeks to "restore the crown to its former glory"
The new ultra-Orthodox party "HaKahal" seeks to change the voting map in the ultra-Orthodox sector, emphasizing that the selection of representatives by the public is a method practiced in Jewish communities for generations. Its establishment is guided by rabbis and led by three ultra-Orthodox council members - Rabbi Shlomo Alboim from Bnei Brak, Yitzhak Hala from Elad, and Rabbi Dov Bakst from Kiryat Yearim.
After more than a year of preparations behind the scenes, the new ultra-Orthodox party "HaKahal" is expected to launch its public campaign this coming Tuesday.
Behind "HaKahal" stands a group of ultra-Orthodox figures who seek, in their words, to "restore the crown to its former glory" and return to the order where leadership is appointed with the consent of the public. According to them, the selection of representatives by the public was practiced in Jewish communities for generations. By changing the method of selecting ultra-Orthodox representatives, the leaders of the new party hope to extract the ultra-Orthodox sector from the difficulties it is currently facing.
Primaries - with a surprising justification
The first principle to which the initiators are committed is, as mentioned, free internal elections (primaries), in which the ultra-Orthodox public will choose its leadership for the Knesset. This is in contrast to the existing situation, where the veteran parties parachute candidates from above, without public participation.
In the party, they emphasize that the entire activity is done under the guidance of rabbis, and that the selection of HaKahal representatives by the public is a way that was practiced in Jewish communities and is anchored in Halacha. First and foremost, they point to the words of the Gemara in Tractate Berakhot, according to which "one does not appoint a leader over the public unless one consults with the public." Alongside this, they bring the ruling of Rabbi Moshe Isserles (the Rema), one of the greatest poskim of the Middle Ages, who wrote that "one should seat all the householders and they will accept upon themselves that each one will say his opinion for the sake of Heaven and they will follow the majority."
A second essential principle is the cessation of the existing ethnic discrimination in the sector, as the group leading the party includes Sephardim, Ashkenazim, Hasidim, and Lithuanians. Furthermore, the party sets transparency as a fundamental value. In this framework, the minutes of the party secretariat's discussions are open for public review. Also, "HaKahal" has been operating an information system for many months that includes a telephone response, text messages, and a website.
Over 70,000 registered supporters
In recent months, the leaders of "HaKahal" held dozens of home circles, registered thousands of new members by word of mouth, distributed messages via text messages and a telephone response, and made preparations for building the party. At the same time, the internal election process has already begun.
A survey commissioned by the party from the "Askaria" company, which specializes in the ultra-Orthodox public, found, among other things, that 60% of those with an opinion in the ultra-Orthodox public are interested in internal elections as a tool for choosing the ultra-Orthodox leadership for the Knesset. The party also mentions that in the 70s, Agudat Yisrael, then the only ultra-Orthodox party, chose its representatives in internal elections held all over the country. Therefore, according to them, this is not an innovation but a restoration of an old practice.
The new party reports over 70,000 registered and identified supporters of the initiative. Many candidates have already offered themselves for the internal elections, and thirty of them have recruited over a hundred supporters each. The process is led by three well-known figures in the sector: Rabbi Shlomo Alboim, interim chairman of the "HaKahal Council" and member of the Bnei Brak city council, Yitzhak Hala, member of the Elad city council, and Rabbi Dov Bakst, former member of the Kiryat Yearim council.
1 out of 7 ultra-Orthodox votes for a non-ultra-Orthodox party
The growth of the party stems from a growing feeling in the ultra-Orthodox public that the existing political mechanism does not provide the desired results. Regardless of the conscription issue, there is growing internal criticism in the sector regarding the political establishment, which, according to critics, takes care of itself and a narrow layer, while many remain without an answer to their needs.
Also, among many in the sector, there is noticeable disappointment with what they see as the failure of Shas and United Torah Judaism to safeguard the needs of the ultra-Orthodox public during the term of the outgoing Knesset. It should be noted that in recent years, public figures and rabbis have emerged in ultra-Orthodox centers who act independently for the needs of the public: some were elected as council members in ultra-Orthodox cities, and others launched separate initiatives, without dependence on the ultra-Orthodox parties, out of an understanding that dependence on them leads, according to them, at the end of the road to a dead end.
In the new party, they claim that due to the problems in the existing system, the ultra-Orthodox sector is also losing many voters: according to their check, at least one out of every seven ultra-Orthodox currently votes for a party that is not ultra-Orthodox.
This coming Tuesday, the leaders of the "HaKahal" party will hold a press conference, where they will present the initiative extensively and in detail, particularly to the entire ultra-Orthodox public.
