A dramatic changing of the guard may be taking shape within Degel HaTorah, with serious discussions underway in the homes of Gedolei Yisroel over the possibility of replacing longtime MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev ahead of the upcoming elections.
Political commentator Avi Ravina said Wednesday evening that the possibility of removing the two veteran lawmakers from the party’s Knesset slate has moved beyond political speculation and is now the subject of substantive discussions.
“This event is real; this event is happening,” Ravina said during a panel on Kol Chai’s main evening news program.
According to Ravina, the key question is whether Gedolei Yisroel will ultimately decide that the parliamentary careers of Gafni, the chairman of Degel HaTorah, and Maklev should come to an end. He cautioned that even if there is considerable support among party activists for bringing in a younger generation, nothing will be final until the matter is decided by the party’s Gedolim.
The discussions are reportedly being framed as an effort to refresh Degel HaTorah’s representation rather than as a personal campaign against Gafni or Maklev. The deliberations come after a Knesset term in which the status of bnei yeshivos and their exemption from military service remained unresolved.
Political commentator Mani Gira-Schwartz said that “the public is disappointed,” but stressed that the possible replacement of veteran lawmakers is not being presented as “revenge or reward and punishment.” Instead, he said, the discussion is centered on a broader generational transition within the party.
The timing could make the deliberations especially significant. Degel HaTorah’s Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah is expected to convene this coming Sunday, in a meeting that could prove decisive as the deadline for finalizing electoral slates approaches.
Until the Gedolim issue their decision, however, all possibilities remain open.
Several names have reportedly surfaced as potential candidates for places on a revamped Degel HaTorah slate, including Dudi Zaltz, deputy mayor of Beitar Illit; Gudi Silman of Bnei Brak; and Yehuda Weissfish of Modiin Illit.
Weissfish reportedly does not want the position, although the panel said that some among the Gedolei Yisroel would like to see him join the party’s Knesset slate.
Ravina also described differing attitudes within the homes of two of Degel HaTorah’s leading Gedolim. According to him, there is greater openness in the home of Rav Dov Landau to replacing the current representatives.
In the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, however, there is reportedly greater reluctance to attribute the failure to resolve the status of bnei yeshivos directly to the party’s Knesset members.
The potential shakeup comes amid broader tensions within United Torah Judaism and recent reports of new demands being made by Degel HaTorah in its negotiations with Agudas Yisroel.
Any significant change to Degel HaTorah’s slate could also have broader ramifications for the makeup and leadership of United Torah Judaism, including the political standing of Agudas Yisroel chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf, as the two factions prepare to determine who will represent them in the next Knesset.
With the party lists set to be submitted next week, the coming days could determine whether Degel HaTorah enters the election with its longtime parliamentary leadership intact or undertakes one of the most significant generational changes in its political representation in years.
{Matzav.com}
