Draft issue splintering chareidi electorate in Eretz Yisroel: The extraordinary issue of the military draft confounding the chareidi community in Eretz Yisroel, with its attendant mass arrests of bnei Torah, is fragmenting the frum parties is ways not seen in decades.
* The parties — Shas, Agudah, Degel and a new party called Hatzibur Hachareidi opened by those who say the traditional parties have botched the draft problem — are each agonizing over how far their voters are willing to express their displeasure. Degel, the party of the litvishe bnei Torah headed by Rav Dov Landau, is adamant that no frum person be drafted. They disapproved of what Shas and Agudah did two months ago when they pushed through a law temporarily halting arrests, and the high court’s halting the law led to recriminations between the parties. In addition, Shas blames Agudah for leaving the coalition a half year ago, pushing their hand when they weren’t ready.
* Here’s a summary of how the parties are dealing with their voters:
* Shas: The party founded by Rav Ovadia Yosef 40 years ago for Sefardim to have a voice has lost more than half its strength since its peak 25 years ago. Following the petirah of Rav Ovadia and his successor, Rav Shalom Cohen, the party has been led by a decentralized moetzet headed by Rav Moshe Maya. Rav Maya told party leader Aryeh Deri this week that Shas should not have another central rabbinic head, but asked him to request of former Rishon Litzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef, a son of Rav Ovadia, to headline the party’s campaign events; Rav Yitzchak, despite his previous criticism of Deri, agreed, beginning with the campaign launch event on Thursday. The theme, as usual, is sticking to traditional values. As for the draft, they oppose street protests and say that only legislation will solve it.
* Agudah: A mix of chassidishe kehillos, most prominently Ger, Belz and Vizhnitz, it has been the most militant in blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu personally for the draft crisis. The Gerrer rebbe has been trying to leave the coalition for more than a year, finally ordering his representative in Agudah, party leader Yitzchak Goldknopf, to do so after Shavuos. Of all the frum parties, Agudah’s voters are the most upset at how they handled it. Many of them are expected to stay home, vote for Hatzibur Hachareidi or for Likud or Smotrich. As for the draft, they have increasingly begun sanctioning street protests, something that was nearly unheard of before a year ago.
* Degel: Degel has in recent years emerged as the bigger party within the United Torah Judaism party, eclipsing Agudah several years ago. They’ve been threatening for several election cycles to run independently but always ultimately ran alongside Agudah out of fear that Agudah won’t cross the electoral threshold. This time they are openly suggesting that want to run independently unless Agudah cedes to them the right to have their leader, Moshe Gafni, replace Goldknopf as party chairman and give them the first four spots on the list. As for the draft, they oppose street protests but don’t trust Netanyahu that he will get a law through to solve the issue.
* Aside from these, there is the Peleg Yerushalmi which opposes all negotiations and has been leading the street protests that have periodically closed down main highways. Their people do not vote as a matter of principle. There is also Hatzibur Hachareidi, a social network that has recently transitioned to a political party emphasizing assistance to anyone who wants to serve in the army or go to work.
