- Degel HaTorah
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Degel HaTorah
דגל התורהLeader Moshe Gafni Founded 1988 Split from Agudat Yisrael Newspaper Yated Ne'eman Ideology Haredi Jewish interest Alliance United Torah Judaism Most MKs 3 (2008-2009) Fewest MKs 1 (1996-1999) Current MKs 2 (as part of United Torah Judaism) Election symbol עץ Politics of Israel
Political parties
ElectionsDegel HaTorah (Hebrew: דגל התורה, lit. Banner of the Torah) is an Ashkenazi Haredi political party in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Yisrael under the name United Torah Judaism.
Contents
Ideology
Degel HaTorah represents the "Lithuanian wing" of the non-Hasidic Haredim (known by some as "Mitnagdim") as opposed to the Hasidic-dominated Agudat Yisrael party. Sometimes, the parties compete against each other, at other times they join forces within a political alliance called United Torah Judaism (UTJ) (Yahadut HaTorah in Hebrew).
Degel HaTorah's rabbinical arbiter (posek) as of 2006[update] is centenarian Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv of Jerusalem. The two Chairmen of Degel haTorah's Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah are Rabbi Eliashiv and Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman.
History
Degel HaTorah was founded in 1988 as a splinter from Agudat Israel.[1] Its establishment by Rabbi Elazar Shach was due to policy disputes with the Hasidic rabbis within Agudat Yisrael. In the 1988 elections the party won two seats, taken by Moshe Gafni and Avraham Ravitz, and joined Yitzhak Shamir's coalition government.. For the 1992 elections the party allied itself with Agudat Yisrael under the name United Torah Judaism.
Although the party split shortly before the 1996 elections, they reunited for the elections. This was repeated for the 1999 and 2006 and 2009 elections.
Currently the party has two MKs (of the five representing UTJ), Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev.
See also
References
- ^ Degel Hatorah kicks off election campaign Jerusalem Post, 14 December 2005
External links
- Party history Knesset website
- Dei'ah Vedibur, weekly web publication with material from Yated Neeman newspaper
- " Krias Kodesh for the United Torah Judaism and Shabbos - Agudas Yisroel Degel HaTorah List Issued by Maranan Verabonon Gedolei Vetzadikei Hador Shlita, Parshas Vaykhel/Pekudei 5766
Parliamentary political parties in Israel 
Kadima • Likud • Yisrael Beiteinu • Shas • Labor • Independence • United Torah Judaism (Agudat Yisrael, Degel HaTorah) • United Arab List-Ta'al •
National Union (Eretz Yisrael Shelanu • Moledet • Hatikva • Tkuma) • Hadash (Maki) • New Movement-Meretz • The Jewish Home • Balad • Whole Nation
Portal:Politics • List of political parties • Politics of Israel Categories:- Political parties established in 1988
- Orthodox Jewish political parties
- Political parties in Israel
- Ashkenazi Jews topics
- Haredi Judaism in Israel
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