Yaakov Asher to Lead United Torah Judaism, Replacing Moshe Gafni

Yaakov Asher is set to become the new chairman of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism, replacing Moshe Gafni who will not be included on the Knesset list. Asher, a close associate of Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of the Lithuanian Haredi public, has served as a Member of Knesset since February 2013. He previously held positions as chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, resigning from the latter in protest over the failure to regulate yeshiva students' exemption from military service.

Asher's appointment reflects a desire within Rabbi Lando's circle to refresh the party's list and ensure greater loyalty to the rabbi's household. The move comes amid ongoing negotiations between the different factions of United Torah Judaism, Agudath Yisrael (Hasidic) and Degel HaTorah (Lithuanian), to finalize their joint Knesset list. The Lithuanian faction is reportedly considering seeking a ministerial position, a move they have historically avoided due to principled objections to participating in government and potential Sabbath desecration.

In a recent interview, Asher emphasized the need for stable coalition partners, stating, "Whoever wants comfortable partners for the government, who do not want to take his chair and replace him, and wants a stable government, will have to sit with us. I have no problem sitting with Gadi Eisenkot; you always ask about Bibi, and I tell you: I am ready to sit with anyone." He also suggested that a draft exemption law might have passed more easily in a government not led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Asher, who had a brief military service, has been a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, advocating for the status of yeshiva students. While initially supporting a framework that would exempt yeshiva students, he later became a proponent of the "arrest freeze law." The Lithuanian faction is also reportedly aiming for the top spot on the list, a position previously ceded to the Hasidic faction.