Shas Suffers Blow While United Torah Judaism Gains Strength

A deep disappointment among the Haredi public with their representatives, particularly Shas, is cited as the reason for the party's electoral setback, contrasting with the gains made by United Torah Judaism. The article argues that Shas operated by "depositing" its votes and support with the right-wing bloc and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expecting to later "withdraw" benefits for the Haredi community, such as budgets for yeshivas and arrangements for Torah scholars. However, this "account" was found to be empty.

The core issue highlighted is the failure to achieve a legislative solution to the conscription of yeshiva students, leading to repercussions like reduced yeshiva budgets, loss of subsidies for daycare centers, and arrests of students for draft evasion. The article criticizes Shas for remaining loyal to the right-wing bloc, even when members of that bloc, like Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz from Likud, and Ofir Sofer and Bezalel Smotrich from the Religious Zionism party, opposed the conscription arrangements favored by the Haredi parties. Shas's support for their partners' agendas, while their own community's needs were unmet, fueled public disappointment and anger.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's public support for Shas leader Arieh Deri is interpreted as an attempt to secure Deri's loyalty, with Netanyahu detailing Deri's contributions to the right-wing bloc and Israeli security. The article contends that Netanyahu's statement focused only on what Deri gave him, ignoring the lack of progress on key Haredi issues like conscription. While Shas did achieve some legislative successes, such as laws related to kosher certification and "kosher" phones, these are deemed less impactful on the daily lives of Haredi voters compared to the conscription and budget issues.

The article posits that Shas limited its strategy to a single political path through the Prime Minister's office, unwilling to risk its public image as part of the right-wing bloc. It suggests that passing a durable conscription law would have required a coalition including the left, a path Shas did not pursue. United Torah Judaism, in contrast, is credited with signaling its independence from the right-wing bloc and its willingness to explore all options, including cooperation with the left, to protect Torah scholars, which the public rewarded.

The core problem, according to the author, was not the failure to pass the conscription law itself, but the perception that maintaining the alliance with Netanyahu and the right-wing bloc took precedence over fighting for the Haredi public's interests. The article concludes that political loyalty must serve the public, and when a coalition fails to address voters' needs, representatives should reconsider that alliance.