United Torah Judaism Leaders Express Deep Concern Over Election Prospects

Despite projecting confidence publicly ahead of the upcoming elections, internal discussions within the United Torah Judaism party reveal significant anxiety about their political standing. A closed-door meeting at the home of Degel HaTorah leader Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, exclusively obtained by i24NEWS's Haredi affairs correspondent Ari Kalman, captured senior party figures voicing grave concerns over potential power losses.

During the discussion, Menachem Shapira conveyed the urgency of the situation, noting that a recent Degel HaTorah gathering emphasized the elections as a matter of "life and death," which he said provided significant reinforcement. Rabbi Hirsch responded by agreeing it was indeed "life and death," stating that Degel having only seven Knesset seats would be a "desecration of God's name."

Shapira pressed further, observing, "We have growth," to which Rabbi Hirsch replied, "We don't see it at all." Shapira then stated, "We need miracles here, the atmosphere in the street is not good, we need a miracle for people to change their minds." Rabbi Hirsch expressed hope that the situation would improve closer to the elections, saying, "As the elections get closer, I think it will change, they will see the need."

However, Silman interjected, pointing out the limited time remaining, "But there isn't much time left, after the holiday it's three weeks until the elections." Rabbi Hirsch emphasized the critical nature of those final three weeks, stating, "In these three weeks! If you think about it, the situation is truly frightening. There is no law for yeshiva students, so what will happen? We cannot leave the situation like this. Until now it was not clear, something needs to happen. The situation for the existence of the state is weak, naturally. Everyone is against us, and we are among ourselves... People need to understand that the situation is not normal."