Proposal to Split United Torah Judaism Party Rejected by Gur Representative

A proposal to break away from the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party and form a new ultra-Orthodox political faction was presented to a representative of the Gur Hasidic group last week. The idea, put forward by members of the Jerusalem Faction, several rabbis, and activists, aimed to establish a political framework taking a hardline stance against military conscription of Haredi Jews. The late-night meeting took place at the home of Eliyahu Goldshtoff, a leader of the Jerusalem Faction, on Thursday.

The proposal suggested that Gur should leave UTJ and join forces with the Jerusalem Faction and other anti-conscription groups to create a new party. Advocates argued this could attract an additional Knesset seat from voters currently abstaining from elections, thereby increasing political influence. However, Rabbi Yaakov Bechik, representing Gur at the meeting, rejected the plan. Instead, he urged the participants to support UTJ, emphasizing that they already share the same opposition to conscription.

Other attendees included Rabbi Yitzhak Rabin, son of Rabbi Boaron, a prominent Sephardic rabbi; Yaakov Chaim Miller, a fervent activist from the Lelov Hasidic community; and other community leaders. The meeting occurred shortly before reports emerged in the Haredi media suggesting that UTJ might run as a technical bloc in upcoming elections, with Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni expected to split from Agudat Yisrael after the vote.

The proposal addressed the political structure of the Haredi parties ahead of the elections, advocating for a preemptive split to form a more hardline anti-conscription party rather than a post-election division. Although the plan was rejected by Bechik, its emergence aligns with speculation about UTJ’s potential fragmentation and strategic repositioning in the near future.