The threat of the Gur Hasidic dynasty not to vote for United Torah Judaism | First publication

The Gur Hasidic dynasty, the largest Hasidic group within United Torah Judaism, is threatening not to vote for the UTJ list in the upcoming elections. The background: a last-minute technical split in the Agudat Yisrael party, which established a new list under UTJ, pushing Gur's representative, Yitzhak Goldknopf, into the status of a one-man faction. Gur demands that the division of roles be finalized before the elections; otherwise, a quiet instruction will be passed to vote for the 'Tzahor Shachor' party.

The Gur Hasidic dynasty, the largest and most influential Hasidic group within the United Torah Judaism party, is threatening not to vote for the list in the upcoming elections, as first reported in the main edition of i24NEWS. The threat stems from a last-minute technical split in the Agudat Yisrael party, the main component of United Torah Judaism. Representatives of the Belz Hasidic dynasty, Meir Porush and Elyakim Shtark, split off and established a new party that joined the UTJ list. This move sidelined Yitzhak Goldknopf, the representative of the Gur Hasidic dynasty, who had until now led UTJ, turning him into a one-man faction in the next Knesset. Gur fears this will affect the division of roles after the elections and that there is a coordinated effort to leave Goldknopf without a significant position. Senior members of the dynasty demand that the division of roles be finalized before the elections. If their demand is not met, the dynasty will not issue an instruction to vote for UTJ, and will pass a quiet instruction to vote for the 'Tzahor Shachor' party, which advocates for a blanket exemption from IDF conscription.