A new political movement is seeking to challenge the established ultra-Orthodox parties by addressing longstanding economic, educational and military-service challenges facing the haredi community while promoting a broader unity government, Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Moti Leitner, chairman of the Charedi Public Party (HaTzibbur HaCharedi), told JNS on Thursday.
The haredi community and Israeli society need a government that will unite the country, strengthen its security and resilience, and bridge societal gaps rather than deepen them, Leitner said.
“As long as the issue of military service is not resolved, the status of yeshivah students is in danger. The economic, social and spiritual situation of the haredi community is facing greater difficulties than ever before. These challenges continue to grow, and the problems are piling up,” he said.
The party has stated that it will protect full-time Torah study while supporting military or national service for ultra-Orthodox men who are not studying in yeshivahs. Its platform will also address math and English instruction in haredi schools, employment and economic security.
The top three spots on the party list after Leitner will go to Asher Fradi, adviser to the mayor of Petach Tikvah; Dr. Nechumi Yaffe, a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University; and Ziva Glanz, CEO of the Sha’ar Group and founder of LaShuv, a network for the absorption of immigrants from Western countries. Yaffe and Glanz are women.
Leitner said the Charedi Public aims to represent the broader haredi public rather than a single faction or subgroup.
“We represent everyone—the Chassidim, the Sephardim, the Ashkenazim, and also men and women. As such, we have two women on our list. They were chosen because of their résumés, their great actions and their capabilities. They are public figures who are worthy and successful, and I appreciate their bravery in taking on this role and competing in the faction.”
Recent polls put the party at between 1.2% and 1.5% of the vote, below the 3.25% electoral threshold.
Leitner said the Charedi Public is the first haredi party created with a commitment to the ultra-Orthodox identity and to the national-religious and conservative right-wing currents of haredi society, while seeking to address broader national issues.
“For the first time in history, we created a haredi party with the objective not to give jobs to intimates, not to put a finger in the eye of other groups, but to solve once and for all the issues of Israeli society and the haredim,” he said.
“If we don’t solve them in the next government, the haredi [community] will face an existential threat and Israel will enter a process of constant deterioration. National resilience, which ensures the survival of the country from a security, economic and social aspect, will only be possible if our faction comes onto the political map and works to solve these problems in a realistic manner. We understand what the state needs and what Israel needs. We look responsibly at reality,” he continued.
“At the same time, we are haredim. We understand that we need to sanctify the name of Heaven, ensure our children’s future and the future of our society, and not simply say what cannot be done, but what can be done in terms of the economy, education and military service. These are issues in which a part of society that will become an important player in the country must be involved and take part in the responsibility of the nation,” he added.
‘The country must unite’
Leitner criticized the haredi education system, saying it contributes to socioeconomic difficulties within the community.
He said that even haredi families in which both parents work continue to struggle financially, while accusing existing ultra-Orthodox political factions of prioritizing jobs and budgets for insiders and affiliated organizations.
“We will do the contrary. We will create a 20-year plan out of a systemic perspective for the future of the children and the future of Israel, because they will be a deciding factor in whether the country will survive financially 50 years from now or financially collapse,” he said.
On the political right, Leitner said his faction supports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp while arguing that Israel needs a broader governing coalition.
“The divisions among the people during the judicial reform effort and then after October 7 proved one thing: Without a wide unity government that represents more than 50% of the country, we will not survive,” he said.
“It’s dangerous for the country to have a government of 50% of the people. The country must unite. We need a broad government, and the reforms we want cannot be carried out by a government that does not have the trust of more than half the people,” he continued.
“We need unity and a unity government, and we will make sure it happens,” Leitner said.
