Shas Chairman Deri Accuses Left-Wing Funders of Undermining Ultra-Orthodox Leadership

Aryeh Deri, chairman of the Shas party, accused left-wing groups of financing a campaign aimed at suppressing voter turnout within the ultra-Orthodox community. In an exclusive interview with Kikar HaShabbat, Deri described a "sophisticated conspiracy" designed to damage the trust between ultra-Orthodox rabbis and their followers. He claimed that leftist money, including funds from global and Israeli liberal foundations and the high-tech sector, has been used to recruit collaborators within the ultra-Orthodox public who secretly recorded rabbis to undermine their authority.

Deri emphasized that his accusations are based on verified facts and that he knows the names of those involved. According to him, these collaborators have worked to create divisions among the rabbinical leadership and to alienate the ultra-Orthodox community from its political representatives. The ultimate goal, Deri asserted, is to discourage the ultra-Orthodox from voting, thereby weakening the political power of the religious right-wing bloc.

He framed this campaign as part of a broader left-liberal effort to secularize the state completely and dismantle the religious political coalition. Deri's statements come amid ongoing tensions between Shas and other political factions, highlighting the struggle over influence within the ultra-Orthodox sector and Israeli politics at large.