Degel HaTorah Party Tightens Control, Requiring Rabbinical Approval for Aides

Degel HaTorah, a prominent Haredi political party, has implemented a new directive requiring all parliamentary aides to its Knesset members to receive explicit approval from the party's rabbis. This decision follows an internal power struggle that led to the ousting of veteran lawmakers Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev.

A strongly worded editorial published in "Yated Ne'eman," the party's official daily newspaper and a publication controlled by activist David Shapira, accused certain Knesset aides and their associates of leaking information to the media and undermining the party's core principles and the world of Torah study. The editorial stated these individuals "collaborated with media figures seeking to introduce foreign elements into Haredi Judaism, stabbing at the very purpose of existence and the path of the Torah world, while conducting a campaign of fabricated slander against the leadership of Degel HaTorah."

This move effectively consolidates power in the hands of David Shapira, who orchestrated the removal of Gafni and Maklev and also controls "Yated Ne'eman." Shapira, grandson of the late Rabbi Steinman, is now positioned as the de facto leader of the party, extending his influence from controlling the newspaper to dictating the personnel surrounding Knesset members.

The recent dismissals of Gafni and Maklev, after 38 years in the Knesset, were reportedly carried out over a weekend and were perceived by party activists as deeply disrespectful to the veteran politicians. Reports indicate that Rabbi Landau sanctioned the dismissals, though a representative from Rabbi German HaLevi Hirsch's household stated that the "Yated Ne'eman" article was not reviewed by Rabbi Hirsch prior to publication, suggesting a potential internal disagreement or lack of full consensus regarding the article's content and the subsequent actions.