Shas ( he, ש״ס) is a
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
religious
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in Israel.
Founded in 1984 under the leadership of
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthod ...
, a former Israeli
Sephardi
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...
chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until his death in October 2013, it primarily represents the interests of
Sephardic and
Mizrahi
''Mizrachi'' or ''Mizrahi'' ( he, מזרחי) has two meanings.
In the literal Hebrew meaning ''Eastern'', it may refer to:
*Mizrahi Jews, Jews from the Middle East
* Mizrahi (surname), a Sephardic surname, given to Jews who got to the Iberian P ...
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
Jews.
The party works to end discrimination against the Sephardic and Mizrahi community and highlights economic issues, religious laws and
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
.
Originally a small ethnic political group, Shas is the fourth-largest party in the
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
. Since 1984 it has been part of most governing coalitions, whether the ruling party was
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
or
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sha ...
.
Name
The party was originally called ''Shom'rei Torah'' ("Guardians of the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
"), with the acronym ש״ת, pronounced "Shat" or "Shas". However, Israeli election law requires a party wishing to use letters for their acronym that already appear in the acronym of an existing party to first obtain permission from that party, and the
Israeli Labor Party
The Israeli Labor Party ( he, מִפְלֶגֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית, ), commonly known as HaAvoda ( he, הָעֲבוֹדָה, , The Labor), is a social democratic and Zionist political party in Israel. The p ...
, whose letters are אמת, refused to grant Shas permission to use the ת. Instead, it was named ש״ס, Shas, an acronym for ''Shomrei S'farad'', meaning "
Sephardic Guardians".
The name is also a reference to the six orders (''Shisha S'darim'') of the
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...
and the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
, both of which are often referred to by the same acronym, "Shas". The party's legal name is "Hit'akhdut ha-S'pharadim ha-Olamit Shom'rei Torah" (התאחדות הספרדים העולמית שומרי תורה), meaning "International Union of the Sepharadim, Guardians of the Torah".
History
![Eli Yishai 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Eli_Yishai_2009.jpg)
Shas was founded in 1984, prior to the
elections to the eleventh Knesset in the same year, in protest over the small representation of Sephardim in the largely
Ashkenazi Agudat Yisrael
Agudat Yisrael ( he, אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, lit., ''Union of Israel'', also transliterated ''Agudath Israel'', or, in Yiddish, ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party re ...
,
through the merger of regional lists established in 1983. It was originally known as Worldwide Sephardic Association of Torah Keepers ( he, הִתְאַחֲדוּת הַסְּפָרַדִּים הָעוֹלָמִית שׁוֹמְרֵי תּוֹרָה, ''Hitahdut HaSfaradim HaOlamit Shomrei Torah''). The party was formed under the leadership of former Israeli Chief Sephardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who established a four-member (including himself) Council of Torah Sages and remained the party's spiritual leader until his death. In founding the party, Yosef received strategic help and guidance from Rabbi
Elazar Shach
Elazar Menachem Man Shach ( he, אלעזר מנחם מן שך, Elazar Shach; January 1, 1899 O.S. – November 2, 2001) was a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi, heading the non-Hasidic ''Litvak'' Orthodox from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
, leader of Israel's non-
Hasidic Haredi Ashkenazi Jews.
Yosef founded the party in 1984 on the platform of a return to religion and as a counter to an establishment dominated by Ashkenazi Jews of European extraction.
Not all Shas voters are themselves ultra-Orthodox. Many of its voters are
Modern Orthodox
Modern may refer to:
History
*Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Philosoph ...
and
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews, due to its alignment with the promotion of an "authentic Middle Eastern"
Israeli culture
The roots of the culture of Israel developed long before modern Israel's independence in 1948, and traces back to ancient Israel ( 1000 BCE). It reflects Jewish culture, Jewish history in the diaspora, the ideology of the Zionist movement that ...
, which fits with traditional
Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
beliefs of a revival of authentic, non-Europeanized
Jewish culture. However, it still represents the Sephardi and Mizrahi Haredi Jewish sectors in the
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
. Shas has at times been able to exert disproportionate influence by gaining control of the balance of power in the Knesset within the context of the traditionally narrow margin between Israel's large parties. Like its
Labor Zionist
Labor Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת סוֹצְיָאלִיסְטִית, ) or socialist Zionism ( he, תְּנוּעָת הָעַבוֹדָה, label=none, translit=Tnuʽat haʽavoda) refers to the left-wing, socialist variation of Zionism. ...
counterparts (i. e.,
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
and
Meretz) that gain votes from the
kibbutz movement, Shas gains votes and supports from
moshavim that are inhabited by Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews, either Orthodox or non-Orthodox. Also, since it became a member of the
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization ( he, הַהִסְתַּדְּרוּת הַצִּיּוֹנִית הָעוֹלָמִית; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the ...
, it gains votes from Orthodox settlers in the West Bank.
In the elections to the eleventh Knesset in 1984, Shas won four seats.
Following
Aryeh Deri's conviction on corruption charges in 1999, Shas gained 17 seats in the
1999 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 1999.
* 1999 electoral calendar
Africa
* 1999 Algerian presidential election
* 1999 Botswana general election
* 1999 Beninese parliamentary election
* 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...
, its strongest showing since its formation. Although 26 seats were projected for the following election had it run in 2001, Shas was reduced to 11 seats in the
2003 election because the two-ballot system was amended.
In the
2006 elections, it gained one more seat, after running what the BBC called "an aggressive campaign that targeted the
neo-conservative
Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and cou ...
economic policies of the previous government", and joined
Ehud Olmert's
coalition government, alongside
Kadima
Kadima ( he, קדימה, lit=''Forward'') was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement pl ...
,
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
,
Gil and, between October 2006 and January 2008,
Yisrael Beiteinu
Yisrael Beiteinu ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּיתֵנוּ, russian: Наш Дом Израиль, lit. ''Israel Our Home'') is a secularist, nationalist right-wing political party in Israel. The party's base was originally secular Russia ...
. In the government, Shas party leader Yishai was Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor and
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...
, while
Ariel Atias
Ariel Atias ( he, אריאל אטיאס, born 13 November 1970) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas, and as the country's Minister of Housing and Construction. He was also manager of Shas' kosher supervision ...
was Minister of Communications and
Meshulam Nahari and
Yitzhak Cohen
Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen (, born 2 October 1951) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas in two spells between 1996 to 2020. He also held several ministerial portfolios.
Biography
Born in Ashkelon, Cohen served on th ...
were
Ministers without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...
.
Following the
2009 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2009.
* Electoral calendar 2009
* 2009 United Nations Security Council election
Caribbean
* 2009 Antiguan general election
* 2009 Aruban general election
* 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
, in which Shas won eleven seats, it joined
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
's coalition government and held four cabinet posts.
Eli Yishai
Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai ( he, אליהו "אלי" ישי, born 26 December 1962) is an Israeli politician. A former leader of Shas, he represented the party in the Knesset from 1996 until 2015, also holding several ministerial posts, including bein ...
, who led the party at that time, was one of four Deputy Prime Ministers and
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
.
On 4 December 2011, Shas launched its United States affiliate, American Friends of Shas, based in Brooklyn, New York.
Shas won 11 seats in the
2013 elections, but chose to form part of the Labor opposition to Netanyahu's new government.
Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid ( he, יָאִיר לַפִּיד, transliterated: , ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician and former journalist who has been serving as the 14th prime minister of Israel since 1 July 2022. He previously served as the alt ...
of the
Yesh Atid
Yesh Atid ( he, יֵשׁ עָתִיד, , There Is a Future) is a liberal political party in Israel. Founded by Yair Lapid in 2012, it seeks to represent what it considers the centre of Israeli society: the secular middle class. It focuses pr ...
party and
Naftali Bennett
Naftali Bennett ( he, נַפְתָּלִי בֶּנֶט, Transliterated: , ; born 25 March 1972) is an Israeli politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, and as the 3rd Alternate Prime Minist ...
of
The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home ( he, הַבַּיִת הַיְהוּדִי, HaBayit HaYehudi) is an Orthodox Jewish and religious Zionist political party in Israel. It was originally formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet, and Tkuma in ...
, who had won more seats and joined the coalition, both favored conscription of the previously exempt Haredi men into Israel's national service and a reduction in state financial support for Haredi families, policies Shas opposes.
In December 2014, Eli Yishai left the Shas party, which he had led for more than a decade. He said he would lead a new religious party in the election scheduled for March 2015. His departure from Shas and Aryeh Deri did not come as a surprise. The party that he formed,
Yachad, failed to pass the election threshold.
In the 2015 elections, Shas was accused of tampering with the ballots of
Yachad. They were also accused of creating a straw party with the symbols of
Otzma Yehudit
Otzma Yehudit ( he, עָצְמָה יְהוּדִית, , Jewish Strength', or 'Jewish Power) is a far-right political party in Israel, which has been referred to as Kahanist and anti-Arab. It was originally formed as Otzma LeYisrael (; lit., ''S ...
, which was running on a joint list with Yachad during the election. During the 2015 election, Shas won 7 seats.
In 2017, opinion polling showed that Shas was falling under the election threshold of 3.25%. In response, Shas leader said that there was a coup attempt in the party. In the same year, a tape was leaked of the party's former spiritual leader, criticizing Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar.
On 17 April 2020, a senior Likud minister, speaking on anonymity, told
Al-Monitor that Deri was mediating the political coalition talks between Netanyahu and Blue and White leader
Benny Gantz
Benjamin Gantz ( he, בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ, Transliterated: ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general serving as the minister of Defense since 2020 and deputy prime minister of Israel si ...
. It was also reported that Deri "might even be open to a new alliance with Blue and White – now that its anti-clerical component, Yair Lapid, quit the party and went his own way" and would only commit to remaining with Netanyahu's coalition until the next election.
Ideology
![Ovadya Yosef](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Ovadya_Yosef.jpg)
The stated purpose of the party is to "return the crown to the former glory", meaning to protect the religious and cultural heritage of Sephardic Jewry and to rectify what it sees as the "continued economic and social discrimination against the Sephardic population of Israel".
Focusing on the needs of Sephardic Orthodox Israelis, Shas established its own government-funded religious education system called MaAyan HaHinuch HaTorani, which became popular in poor Sephardic towns, increasing the party's popular support.
Shas advocates for the increased influence of
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
, the Jewish religious law, in Israeli society and actively engages in the
Baal teshuva movement
The baal teshuva movement is a description of the return of secular Jews to religious Judaism. The term ''baal teshuva'' is from the Talmud, literally meaning "master of repentance". The term is used to refer to a worldwide phenomenon among th ...
, encouraging non-
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
Israelis of Sephardic and Mizrahi-Jewish heritage to adopt an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. Shas is a Haredi religious party, but it has participated in left-wing governments and is often willing to compromise on both religious and economic issues.
At first, Shas followed a moderate policy on the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict, after Yosef had declared that lives were more important than territories,
but it has since moved to the right and opposes any freeze in Israeli settlement activity in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
.
In addition, it was skeptical towards the U.S.
Obama Administration's intentions regarding the
Israeli–Palestinian peace process and has begun to support a consolidation of
Israeli settlement interests, especially regarding
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...
s and Jewish holy sites in the West Bank. It further believes in a "United Jerusalem" and supports the
Greater Jerusalem
In Israel, the Jerusalem metropolitan area is the area encompassing the approximately one hundred square miles surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem with a population of 1,253,900.World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization ( he, הַהִסְתַּדְּרוּת הַצִּיּוֹנִית הָעוֹלָמִית; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the ...
, having made significant changes to its charter.
One of Shas's demands is a compensation package for Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews who were forced to flee their home countries and leave their property behind. Shas opposes any form of public expression of homosexuality, including
Gay Pride
LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to s ...
parades, especially in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Shas MK
Nissim Ze'ev
Nissim Mordechai Ze'ev ( he, נסים מרדכי זאב; born 9 September 1951) is an Israeli politician. One of the founders of Shas, he served as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem between 1983 and 1998, and as a member of Knesset from 1999 until 2015.
...
accused the homosexual community of "carrying out the self-destruction of Israeli society and the Jewish people", calling homosexuals "a plague as toxic as
bird flu
"Bird Flu" is an urumee melam-dance song by recording artist M.I.A. on her second studio album '' Kala'' (2007). It was released as a digital download in 2006 through XL Recordings under exclusive license to Interscope Records in the US. Cr ...
". However, the party condemns any form of violence against
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
people.
Controversies
Several Shas MKs, including
Aryeh Deri,
Rafael Pinhasi
__NOTOC__
Rafael Pinhasi ( he, רפאל פנחסי, born 1940) is a former Israeli politician who served as Minister of Communications between 1990 and 1992.
Early life
Born in Kabul in Afghanistan, Pinhasi's family made aliyah in 1950. He was ...
,
Yair Levy
Yair Levy ( he, יאיר לוי, born 11 October 1952) is an Israeli Haredi rabbi and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas between 1988 and 1992.
Biography
Born in Tiberias in 1952, Levy attended a rabbinical seminary ...
,
Ofer Hugi
Ofer Hugi ( he, עופר חוגי, born 17 April 1964) is a former Israeli politician who served as a Knesset member for Shas from 1999 to 2003, and again for just under a month in 2006. In 2007, he was sent to prison for various charges related ...
and
Yair Peretz
Yair Peretz ( he, יאיר פרץ, born 1954) is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas from 1999 until being convicted of fraudulently obtaining an academic degree in March 2006.
Biography
Born in Morocco in ...
, have been convicted of criminal offenses that include fraud and forgery. In addition, MK
Shlomo Benizri
Shlomo Benizri ( he, שלמה בניזרי; born 7 February 1961) is an Israeli politician and member of the Shas party. He represented Shas in the Knesset between 1992 and 2008, serving as Deputy Health Minister, Minister of Health, and Labor a ...
was convicted of bribery, conspiring to commit a crime and obstruction of justice on 1 April 2008. Benizri resigned, and
Mazor Bahaina
Mazor Mahoy Bahaina ( he, מזור בהיינה, born 12 September 1973) is an Israeli kes, Orthodox rabbi, and former politician, who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas between 2008 and 2009.
Biography
Born in Wolqayt in Ethiopia, Bah ...
, number thirteen on the Shas list, replaced him. In 1999, Deri was sentenced to prison time on corruption charges.
In 2010, Ovadia Yosef cursed the Palestinians as "evil, bitter enemies of Israel" and said that, "
Abu Mazen
Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...
and all these evil people should perish from this world. God should strike them with a plague."
Saeb Erekat of the PLO said Yosef's remarks were tantamount to a call for "genocide against Palestinians". Yosef later apologized and wrote to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: "I support your efforts and praise all the leaders and the peoples — Egyptians, Jordanians and Palestinians — who are partners and wish the success of this important process of achieving peace in our region, and preventing bloodshed. May God grant you longevity and may you succeed in your efforts for peace and may there be peace in our region." Previously, Yosef had called Arabs "vipers" and called for Israel to "annihilate" them.
"It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable." A spokesman later clarified that his comments were only aimed at murderers and terrorists and not the entire Arab world.
In 2020, the party was fined
₪7,500 by the
Central Elections Committee
The Israeli Central Elections Committee ( he, ועדת הבחירות המרכזית, ''Va'adet HaBehirot HaMerkazit'') is the body charged under the Knesset Elections Law of 1969 to carry out the elections for the upcoming Knesset. The committe ...
for giving out prayer cards at polling stations during the
2020 Knesset elections, which were claimed to cure "
Corona
Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to:
* Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star
* Corona (beer), a Mexican beer
* Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...
and every illness and pestilence".
Women's campaign
Women activists protested the lack of female representation in Shas by organizing a "
No Female Candidate, No Female Vote" campaign. The women said they would not vote for a party that does not include women candidates on its slate and sent an open letter to the Knesset representatives of ultra-Orthodox parties, which was also circulated on social media. Rabbi Mordechai Blau, a senior party member, threatened that women participating in the movement or bucking the party leadership would find their children "banned from Haredi schools" and their employers "boycotted by the community". Shas announced that it would create a women's council within the movement, a step that was welcomed by the campaigners. At the same time, they said: "We will move forward and call on the Haredi factions to enable women to serve as MKs in the Knesset." Eli Yishai said on Israel Radio: "There is nothing in Jewish law that says you can't have a woman as a Knesset member. But our rabbis decide what they decide on every subject and the same goes for this."
When a group of ultra-Orthodox women created their own party,
U'Bizchutan, Isaac Bezalel, the Shas spokesman, said: "The Haredi public is not yet open to women serving in the Knesset."
Knesset members
![Ballot2009 shas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Ballot2009_shas.jpg)
Eleven individuals serve as members of the Knesset for Shas in the twenty-fifth Knesset:
#
Aryeh Deri
#
Ya'akov Margi
#
Yoav Ben-Tzur
Rabbi Yoav Ben-Tzur (, born 11 June 1958) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas, Minister in the Ministry of Labor, and as acting Minister of Health. Ben-Tzur previously served as the Deputy Minister of ...
#
Michael Malchieli
Michael Malchieli (, born 7 October 1982) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as the Minister of Religious Affairs and as acting Minister of Interior in the thirty-seventh government, and is a member of the Knesset for the Sephardi u ...
#
Haim Biton
Haim Biton ( he, חַיִּים בִּיטוֹן, born 17 January 1978)
Mako, 25 Ma ...
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Moshe Arbel
Moshe Arbel ( he, מֹשֶׁה אַרְבֵּל, born 1983) is an Israeli Haredi rabbi and politician. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas.
Biography
Arbel was born to Ilana and Rahmim. His father was deputy chairman of the P ...
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Yinon Azulai
Yinon Azulai (, born 10 July 1979) is an Israeli politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for Shas.
Political career
Azulai was sixteenth on the Shas list for the 2015 Knesset elections, but failed to become a Knesset member when Sh ...
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Moshe Abutbul
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Uriel Buso
Uriel Menachem Buso (, born 13 September 1973) is an Israeli politician who serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas.
Biography
Burso was born the ninth of ten children in Ramla. His mother Heftziba is the daughter of the Moroccan-born Mayor a ...
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Yosef Taieb
Yosef Taieb ( he, יוֹסֵף טָיֶיבּ, born 15 February 1981) is an Israeli politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for Shas.
Biography
Taieb was born in the 15th arrondissement of Paris to parents of Tunisian Jewish descent ...
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Avraham Betzalel
Avraham Betzalel ( he, אברהם בניהו בצלאל) is an Israeli politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for Shas
Shas ( he, ש״ס) is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 under the leadership of Rab ...
Party leaders
Election results
References
External links
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ShasKnesset website
{{Authority control
Ovadia Yosef
Rabai Shech
Haredi Judaism in Israel
Orthodox Jewish political parties
Sephardi Jewish culture in Israel
Political parties established in 1984
Mizrahi Jewish culture in Israel
Conservative parties in Israel
Social conservative parties
1984 establishments in Israel
Right-wing politics in Israel
Political parties in Israel