Eliakim Stark, the 35-year-old Belzer chossid selected to replace longtime Knesset member Yisroel Eichler on the United Torah Judaism slate, has pledged to become a voice for working chareidim and younger members of the community, declaring that the growing population of chareidim who do not fit traditional communal categories can no longer be dismissed as a marginal group.

In his first extensive interview since being chosen as Belz’s new Knesset candidate, Stark also disclosed his close personal friendship with Motti Leitner, chairman of the newly established HaTzibur HaChareidi party, which is competing against United Torah Judaism in the upcoming elections.

Speaking with Yishai Cohen in the Kikar HaShabbat studio, Stark discussed his unexpected entry into national politics, the circumstances surrounding Eichler’s departure, his position on the military draft controversy, and his plans to introduce a more accessible style of political representation.

Stark, who was born in Belgium, moved to Eretz Yisroel at age 16 to study at the Belzer yeshiva in Rishon LeZion. He subsequently served as a rosh chaburah at Yeshivas Mir before becoming involved in communal affairs within Belz.

His selection as the chassidus’s Knesset representative came shortly before the deadline for submitting party lists, marking a significant generational change in Belz’s political leadership.

Stark described the transition from Eichler, who has represented Belz in the Knesset for many years, as an unusually warm and respectful process.

Rather than portraying the change as a political confrontation, he recalled visiting Eichler at his home and discussing how they could publicly demonstrate the cordial nature of the transition.

“I called him as I normally do and asked, ‘Rav Yisroel, can I come up now? They are supposed to make the change. I understand that you have heard about it, that you know, and that you are waiting.’ He said, ‘Yes, yes, come up now,’” Stark related.

“I went up to his home, and he was waiting for me with his radiant smile. We entered the room, talked, laughed, and joked, and said: Let us do this so that all of Klal Yisroel can see how beautiful it is.”

Stark also cited remarks made by the son of the Belzer Rebbe, who was involved in the process leading to his selection.

“Sending a chareidi person to the Knesset requires very broad shoulders, and it must be done in the cleanest possible manner, with genuine consultation, thorough consideration, and all sides presented before the Rebbe, who then made the decision completely and unequivocally, rather than merely agreeing after the fact.”

According to Stark, his appointment followed a process in which the relevant considerations were presented to the Belzer Rebbe before the final decision was made.

Throughout the interview, Stark repeatedly emphasized his intention to establish a closer relationship between elected representatives and the younger generation of chareidim.

He argued that younger voters increasingly expect their representatives to explain decisions, engage in open discussion, and address concerns that might previously have received little attention.

“The plans for the Knesset are to bring a young spirit to the representation,” Stark declared. “I don’t want all the formalities surrounding me. I am part of you. I see it as a mission to involve the younger generation. The younger generation demands what it deserves, but it is not prepared to take for granted everything that has existed here all these years.”

To illustrate his approach, Stark recalled an educational gathering held several years ago at the Belzer Rebbe’s home, attended by mechanchim from around the world.

During that gathering, he said, the Rebbe addressed the changing expectations of younger people and the importance of helping them understand the reasoning behind communal practices and decisions.

“The Rebbe said in Yiddish, from the depths of his heart: ‘Today’s generation is sometimes no longer prepared to accept everything that existed until now as a matter of course. It wants to learn and understand!’ And I think the spirit I bring is truly one of involving the public.”

Stark acknowledged that his relatively young age and lack of parliamentary experience would likely make him a target of scrutiny.

Nevertheless, he said he was prepared to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them.

“I take into account that everyone will be watching me closely, and there will be missteps, and I am also young. I am not embarrassed to say that I made a mistake. I will learn.”

Turning to the military draft controversy, Stark said that resolving the legal status of yeshiva bochurim must remain a central priority for United Torah Judaism in the next Knesset.

He indicated that the party should not accept government positions before securing an arrangement addressing the status of yeshiva students.

“I heard this term, and I want to be precise: ‘Not taking positions.’ In other words, ultimately there is a feeling that a person sits down in his chair… We will truly do our utmost to establish this in the best possible way and bring it about.”

His remarks reflected the position that obtaining government appointments should not take precedence over resolving the conscription issue.

Asked whether United Torah Judaism would categorically reject alternative political alliances if another coalition offered a solution to the draft controversy, Stark declined to rule out possibilities in principle.

“A public representative who enters office must keep the objective before his eyes, and the objective is to be a faithful representative of those who sent him. And who are you to disqualify anyone? After all, this is politics, without disqualifying and without boycotting.”

He nevertheless acknowledged that the question was largely hypothetical, given the composition of the political parties on the other side of the Israeli political spectrum.

One of the interview’s most notable exchanges concerned HaTzibur HaChareidi, the new political party led by Motti Leitner, deputy mayor of Beit Shemesh.

The party has sought to attract younger and working chareidim who believe their interests have not received sufficient attention from the established chareidi political factions.

Stark surprised viewers by revealing that he and Leitner have maintained a close friendship and have discussed the establishment of the new party at considerable length.

“Motti is a very good friend of mine. We have spoken for countless hours, including about the new party. My position is that the greatest change can be created from within the system, from within the establishment.”

Although the two men now find themselves associated with competing political parties, Stark made clear that their personal relationship has not prevented them from discussing the issues confronting the community.

He also acknowledged the underlying concerns that have contributed to the emergence of HaTzibur HaChareidi.

According to Stark, the number of chareidim who identify with a somewhat different communal lifestyle has grown substantially, making it increasingly unrealistic to treat them as an insignificant minority.

“In the past, there were people who were labeled ‘modern chareidim,’ and they were pushed to the fringes,” Stark explained. “Today, those fringes have become very large fringes. They are no longer fringes! Today, the public says: Listen, I want to live this way. I want a shul that suits me, in my spirit, and I am here to stay.”

When Cohen asked whether he was personally committing to represent this population in the Knesset, Stark answered without hesitation.

“Absolutely!”

Stark then recounted an incident in Ramat Beit Shemesh Daled involving a dispute over the allocation of land for shuls.

The disagreement involved the Belzer community and a Kerestir shul associated with Leitner.

According to Stark, some individuals urged him not to engage with Leitner’s community, arguing that doing so would give legitimacy to a group they opposed.

Stark said he refused to accept that approach.

“Various people came to me and said, ‘Listen, this is Leitner. You must not speak with them. Don’t give them legitimacy!’ I said: Absolutely not! I called Motti, we sat down, and we worked things through.”

He said he made it clear that Belz would not pursue its own interests by trampling on the rights of Leitner’s community.

“I said: There is no way Belz will receive an allocation at the expense of trampling on Motti Leitner, his party, and his community! And indeed, boruch Hashem, we worked things out.”

Stark presented the episode as an example of his belief that communal disagreements should be addressed through direct discussion and mutual accommodation rather than through exclusion.

He argued that the growth of the working chareidi population requires a practical response from established communal institutions.

To illustrate the point, he offered an analogy involving a shul in which a small number of bochurim begin talking during davening.

If only three bochurim are talking, he explained, the appropriate response might be to approach them individually and ask them to stop.

But when the number grows dramatically, the situation can no longer be addressed as an isolated disciplinary problem.

“You have a shul with 400 people davening, and you see three bochurim standing outside and chatting during davening. You approach them and reprimand them. When you go outside and see 60 bochurim talking, you understand that this is a phenomenon!”

Stark continued by arguing that communal leaders must respond to such developments by identifying the underlying needs and establishing appropriate frameworks.

“Either you solve it at its root, or you open a separate minyan for them, or you establish activities for them. If you ignore them or think they will be pushed to the side of the road, that will not happen. We need to take care of them and provide them with everything. And I am their representative!”

The remarks were particularly significant given the political controversy surrounding Leitner’s party, which has drawn criticism from senior chareidi rabbonim and political leaders over its decision to compete independently in the Knesset elections.

As previously reported, Rav Dov Landau has issued an exceptionally sharp letter condemning the activities of those involved with HaTzibur HaChareidi, warning that the new party was causing serious harm to chareidi Jewry.