Posted on 01/11/2005 2:17:28 PM PST by anotherview
Jan. 11, 2005 18:32 | Updated Jan. 11, 2005 22:18
UTJ splits over rabbinical spat
By MATI WAGNER
A dispute over rabbinic allegiances tore apart on Tuesday Lithuanian Degel HaTorah and hassidic Agudat Yisrael, the two parties making up United Torah Judaism (UTJ).
The preeminent halachic authority of the Lithuanian haredi community, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, ordered the Degel HaTorah Mks, Moshe Gafni and Rabbi Avraham Ravitz to split themselves from the three Agudah Yisrael Mks.
Gafni and Ravitz placed the blame for the split squarely on the shoulders of MK Ya'acov Litzman of the hassidic Agudat Yisrael, who accepted the position of Chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee on Tuesday, despite a clear order by Elyashiv to the contrary.
Elyashiv made UTJ's entry to the government coalition conditional upon a promise by all UTJ MKs not to accept government positions for three months.
Elyashiv wanted to strengthen UTJ's bargaining position against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and limit Sharon's ability to sway UTJ MKs by keeping one foot out.
"The idea was to stand by vigilantly to make sure promises would be upheld to save haredi education and religious services," said Ravitz.
However, Litzman notified his UTJ colleges that he would accept the chairmanship of the Finance Committee, justifying his actions by saying his own hassidic rabbi, the Gerrer Rebbe, approved of taking the chairmanship.
In response, Gafni and Ravitz appealed to Elyashiv, who ordered them to break with Agudat Yisrael.
"If the situation had been the other way around and it was Litzman's rabbi that was telling us to stay out, we would have respected his decision," said Gafni.
"That is exactly what happened with the vote on the disengagement plan. Rabbi Elyashiv advised us to abstain while the Gerer Rebbe wanted us to vote against it. So we voted against. Historically, we have always adopted the more stringent opinion. Now Litzman is breaking that rule."
Ravitz said that even before Elyashiv's decision to split the parties, Litzman had created an irreparable breach.
"After what Litzman did, we were de facto separated. Rabbi Elyashiv made it de jure."
Effectively, the split will not have any impact on the coalition agreement. Litzman was sworn in to his new position Tuesday, replacing MK Avraham Hirschson, was promoted to Tourism Minister.
The 2005 budget is slated to be presented to the Knesset for a first reading vote, after which it will be transferred to the Finance Committee to be prepared for final approval by the Knesset.
Sources close to Degel HaTorah expressed concern that Litzman would cooperate with the government in passing the budget as quickly as possible, including funding for the disengagement.
"In three months, after Sharon passes the disengagement plan and we serve our purpose, he's is liable to throw us out of the coalition without fulfilling any of his promises," a Degel official said.
"That's why it is so important to keep one foot out [of the coalition] so that as soon as there is a sign that he has no intention of keeping his promises we will have no difficulty leaving."
The Knesset House Committee will meet next week to approve Degel Hatorah's request to become a separate Knesset faction.
Signs of cracks in UTJ unity are abundant. On Monday in a vote on new government appointments that was also a vote of confidence in the government, MK Meir Porush, of Agudat Yisrael, broke ranks with UTJ and abstained.
Porush told The Jerusalem Post that he decided to abstain at the last minute even though he had agreed to the UTJ's decision to support the government Monday morning, after he was notified that Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages was tied on the vote.
Apparently one of the Torah Sages reversed a previous decision to support the government after it became clear that Sharon needed the UTJ's vote to win the vote.
However, Porush's decision to buck party discipline was unrelated to the split between Agudah and Degel HaTorah
Nina Gilbert and Gil Hoffman contributed to this report
Welcome to the crazy world of Israeli politics.
"The only people we hate more than the Romans are the f***ing Judean People's Front."
The Israeli political system: one man, one party.
You're mistaken: one person, two parties (one he votes for, and the other one he votes for just to vote against the one he voted for in the last election)
Or to put it more plainly: The Israeli political system: one person, one vote, always Shimon Peres.
The old Israeli joke is that if you have two Israelis in a room you have three political parties and an argument.
SPLITTERS!!!
"Where's the Judean Popular People's Front?"
"He's over there."
"SPLITTER!"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.