From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Shas, Degel HaTorah fight for control of Jerusalem’s religious council
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
A feud between the ultra-Orthodox Shas and Degel HaTorah parties over control of Jerusalem’s religious council spills over into public view, with senior lawmakers from both parties accusing each other of harming religion in Israel.
Degel HaTorah is one of two factions comprising the larger United Torah Judaism party.
According to the Behadrei Haredim news site, during Shas’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset yesterday, former religious affairs minister Michael Malkieli accused Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni of joining “forces with the religion-haters from the opposition” to prevent the approval of NIS 30 million ($9.4 million) for the renovation of ritual baths “just because of a certain role that they thought they deserved.”
This calls into question Gafni’s “decision-making in all matters” relating to religion in Israel, Malkieli is reported to have added.
Last week, Degel HaTorah abstained from voting for additional funding for the Religious Services Ministry, a key Shas interest, as part of the fight over the appointment of the Jerusalem religious council’s new chairman.
The ultra-Orthodox Kikar Hashabbat news site reports that Gafni opposes the appointment of Shas chairman Aryeh Deri’s associate Hananel Shem Tov to the position, insisting that it belongs to his party. Shas, meanwhile, argues that its coalition agreement gives it the authority to choose the council chairman.
During its own faction meeting yesterday, United Torah Judaism decided to boycott votes on coalition legislation this week in order to gain leverage in the dispute. This boycott marks an escalation from the partial legislation boycott the party has maintained for months, in which it has declined to vote on preliminary readings of private bills advanced by coalition lawmakers.
Responding to Malkieli’s comments, a spokesman for Gafni releases a statement attributed to associates of the lawmaker decrying “attempts at cheap smears” motivated by “fear of losing control, power, and authority.”
“MK Rabbi Gafni acts in accordance with the guidance of our masters and rabbis, the great Torah sages at every step,” the spokesman says, accusing Shas of mismanagement of religious affairs.
“We have all witnessed the damage and destruction they have left behind in recent years regarding kashrut, mikvahs, and all religious services, including in Jerusalem. The era in which Degel HaTorah’s community lacks representation on these issues throughout the country — from Metula to Eilat, including Jerusalem, where Degel HaTorah is the largest faction in the city — has come to an end,” the spokesman says.
“If anyone in Shas has not yet understood the new reality, they should internalize it. The public has already spoken. The change is already underway.”
Shas has long made control of local rabbinates a top policy priority.
The Times of Israel Community.