Yitzhak Issachar Goldknopf ( he, יצחק יששכר גולדקנופף, born 30 October 1950) is an Israeli politician and the leader of

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 ...

. Goldknopf is the leader of the

United Torah Judaism United Torah Judaism ( he, יהדות התורה, ''Yahadut HaTora''), often referred to by its electoral symbol Gimel (), is a Haredi, religious conservative political alliance in Israel. The alliance, consisting of Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaT ...

party, following the resignation of

Yaakov Litzman Yaakov Noach Litzman ( he, יַעֲקֹב נָח לִיצְמָן , born 2 September 1948) is an Israeli politician and former government minister. A follower of the Ger Hasidic dynasty, he heads Agudat Yisrael, part of the United Torah Judais ...

. He previously served as a member of the Jerusalem City Council.

Biography

Goldknopf was born in Jerusalem in 1950 to Malka and Yehuda, a follower of the Ger

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

dynasty. Goldknopf is a member of

's national committee. He was elected to the Jerusalem City Council in 2003. Goldknopf is CEO of the Beit Yaakov and Beit Petahia kindergartens and daycare centers, which he inherited from his father. In June 2022,

Yaakov Aryeh Alter Yaakov Aryeh Alter ( pl, Jakub Arie Alter, he, יעקב אריה אלתר, born 18 May 1939) is the eighth, and current, Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he has held since 1996. He lives in Israel, and has followers there and in ...

Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

of the Ger dynasty, appointed Goldknopf to replace

as leader of Agudat Yisrael. Goldknopf was additionally assigned the first spot on the party's

electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

ahead of the 2022 election. Following the election results he became a Member of the 25th Knesset on November 15th. Goldknopf is well known in the religious community because of his position as chair of the "Committee for the Sanctity of the Sabbath". The committee has fought for restrictions in the Israeli public space, including a campaign that forced

El Al El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (, he, אל על נתיבי אויר לישראל בע״מ), trading as El Al (Hebrew: , "Upwards", "To the Skies" or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ar, إل-عال), is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugural ...

to stop flying on Saturdays. He has recently intervened in a highly publicized spat between the Gur leadership and Knesset member

Meir Porush Meir Porush ( he, מֵאִיר פֹּרוּשׁ, born 11 June 1955) is an Israeli politician who has served as a member of the Knesset for the Haredi Agudat Yisrael faction of United Torah Judaism in several spells since 1996. He served as the D ...

, who accused it of undermining his bid for

Mayor of Jerusalem The Mayor of the City of Jerusalem is head of the executive branch of the political system in Jerusalem. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within Jerusal ...

Personal life

Goldknopf is married, and has ten children.

References

{{Current MKs 1950 births Living people Agudat Yisrael politicians Wikipedia categories tracking data not in Wikidata People from Jerusalem Members of the 25th Knesset (2022–) Rabbinic members of the Knesset