Haredi Public Faction Demands Deri: 'Include Our Representative on Your List'

The 'Haredi Public' faction has turned to Shas chairman Aryeh Deri demanding to include Rabbi Eliahu Kalifa on the party's Knesset list, following a similar move toward United Torah Judaism. The faction claims that thousands of Sephardic Haredi families lack adequate political representation.

The 'Haredi Public' faction, led by Moti Leitner, is expanding its struggle for political representation and has directed a demand to Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to include Rabbi Eliahu Kalifa, one of the founders of the Haredi hesder yeshiva 'Hamtivta', on the party's Knesset list. The move comes after a similar appeal to United Torah Judaism. The faction claims that thousands of Haredi families, mainly in the Sephardic community, do not receive adequate political representation from the veteran leadership. Rabbi Kalifa, 43, married and father of five, stated that the decision came from the field: 'For the first-grade child standing in Elul with a new backpack, for the daughter waiting for an answer from the seminary just because her family name doesn't sound right.' The demand reflects intra-sector tensions over representation of Sephardic Haredi communities.