Jerusalem Faction's Bid to Split United Torah Judaism Rejected by Gur Hasidim

The Jerusalem Faction proposed that the Gur Hasidic group break away from United Torah Judaism (UTJ) to form a new party with a hardline stance against the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews. This move aimed to gain an additional Knesset seat from voters who currently abstain. However, Moti Babchik, a senior figure in Gur and aide to UTJ chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf, met with Jerusalem Faction representatives late Thursday night and declined the proposal. Babchik urged them instead to support UTJ, emphasizing their shared opposition to the draft.

The meeting took place at the home of Eliyahu Goldshtof, a Jerusalem Faction leader, and included other prominent rabbis and activists from various ultra-Orthodox communities. Concurrently, reports in the ultra-Orthodox media indicated that UTJ plans to run as a technical bloc in the upcoming elections, with Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni expected to split from Agudat Yisrael, led by Goldknopf, after the vote.

This internal political maneuvering occurs amid broader concerns about ultra-Orthodox influence within the Likud party. Thousands of Hasidic voters have joined Likud, creating a new power center that could affect party primaries and government policy. The ultra-Orthodox bloc in Likud is estimated at around 7,000 members out of 140,000 total, with key figures like Yossi Rozenboim coordinating efforts across major Hasidic sects including Karlin, Vizhnitz, Belz, and Gur.

The push for greater influence in the ruling party reflects ultra-Orthodox leaders’ desire to secure budget allocations and policy priorities, especially as some ultra-Orthodox parties find themselves in opposition. The Jerusalem Faction’s attempt to split UTJ was thus part of a larger struggle over representation and political leverage within the ultra-Orthodox community and Israeli politics at large.