Shas Founder Criticizes Party's Leadership and Campaign

Nissim Ze'ev, a former Knesset Member and one of the founders of the Shas party, has expressed his lack of surprise regarding the party's current crisis, attributing it to a faltering campaign and the exclusive control exerted by Chairman Aryeh Deri. Ze'ev stated that the atmosphere prior to the elections was already tense, and Deri's aggressive campaign, which he described as "brainwashing" against draft dodgers, was counterproductive. Ze'ev believes Deri should have emphasized that Shas members serve in the army and that those not studying should enlist, rather than creating an impression that Shas opposes the military. This ambiguity, he explained, led some rabbis and yeshiva deans to advise their followers to vote for the United Torah Judaism party, resulting in an estimated 20% of Shas voters switching. Ze'ev lamented that Shas lost support from both segments of the public, those who felt the party was anti-military and those who perceived it as not sufficiently protecting yeshiva students.

Ze'ev also directly challenged the perception that Shas is synonymous with Aryeh Deri, asserting that the party is not a one-man show and that Deri did not found it. He warned that this perception of singular control causes people to withdraw their support. Ze'ev recalled a previous period when he was ousted from the party, which also led to a decline to seven Knesset seats, and stressed the need for Shas to broaden its messaging to the general public, not just its core constituency. He reminisced about his own past efforts to connect with various segments of the population, including right-wing communities, and contrasted it with the current party's perceived lack of outreach.

Regarding the draft law, Ze'ev suggested that Deri was not solely to blame, citing the public outcry against it and the subsequent outbreak of war, which made it an unsuitable time to advance the legislation. He proposed that Deri should have set a one-year deadline for the Prime Minister to pass the law, considering the security and public constraints. Ze'ev noted that Shas voters have dispersed to other parties, including Likud, Ben-Gvir's party, and Smotrich's Religious Zionism, with some viewing Smotrich as more level-headed than Ben-Gvir. He also mentioned that some traditional Shas voters have been instructed by their yeshiva leaders to vote for United Torah Judaism.

Ze'ev criticized Shas's campaign strategy, arguing that it failed to counter the incitement against the Haredi public as draft dodgers and did not effectively communicate that they are a studying public with solutions for those not engaged in Torah study. He recalled Rabbi Yehuda Tzadka's view that those who do not study Torah will be held accountable, similar to soldiers falling in battle. Ze'ev proposed a more administrative approach, suggesting that individuals over 21 who have completed their studies could serve for three months followed by reserve duty, which he believes would lead to tens of thousands enlisting.

On the calls for Deri's resignation, Ze'ev refrained from direct advice but emphasized that Deri needs partners and cannot operate as a dictator. He criticized the current leadership style where Knesset members require his approval to speak, recalling his own reprimands from Rabbi Shalom Cohen for speaking to the media. Ze'ev suggested that Deri should implement the "Tikkun" (correction) he established in 2011 to address the party's internal issues.