As I wrote many times, Charedim hate each other's guts, and now there is a civil war within the Agudas Yisrael.
The difference between civil wars in Chiloni Parties and Chardedie Parties is that Charedim use violence, threats and intimidation!
The escalating internal battle within Agudas Yisroel spilled into the streets Sunday night when MK Meir Porush was physically attacked by a group of individuals following a Simchas Bais Hashoeivah in Kiryat Gat.
Porush had attended the Simchas Bais Hashoeivah of the Kretschnif chassidus, where he was seated prominently at the mizrach alongside the Kretschnifer Rebbe. According to reports, shortly after the event concluded and Porush left the gathering, a group that had been waiting outside confronted and attacked him.
The incident reportedly was not spontaneous. According to Kikar HaShabbat, messages had circulated beforehand on internal communication lines identified with the Ger chassidus calling on people to come to the location because Porush would be attending the event.
The confrontation comes amid an extraordinary rupture within Agudas Yisroel following the establishment of Chomas Toras Yisroel, the new political faction formed by Porush, representing Shlomei Emunim, together with Belzer representative Eliakim Stark.
Earlier Sunday, Porush participated in a founding gathering for the new faction in Bnei Brak, where representatives of the participating communities gathered as the new political framework moves forward ahead of the elections.
Stark addressed the gathering and spoke sharply about what he described as the failures of the existing political leadership in protecting the Torah world.
“We did not succeed in the most basic mission, of protecting yeshiva students and kollel avreichim,” Stark said, calling for renewed unity around a political approach aimed at protecting the Olam HaTorah.
The creation of Chomas Toras Yisroel represents one of the most significant internal changes within United Torah Judaism in decades. Under the new arrangement, Porush and Stark are operating through a separate political framework while remaining part of the broader United Torah Judaism list.
The move followed months of mounting friction within Agudas Yisroel, particularly between Porush and figures associated with Ger, over control of party finances, representation and the allocation of political resources.
In an interview ahead of Sukkos, Porush publicly explained why he believed the split had become necessary.
“What happened with the handling of the funds in Agudat Yisrael, public funds that belong to the public, is something that is forbidden to do and that I could no longer remain silent about,” Porush said.
According to Porush, the dispute stretches back years.
“For years, and essentially since the changing of the guard, when my late father resigned from his activities in the leadership of Agudat Yisrael, all the funds were controlled by one individual, who was appointed by the Central Faction,” he said.
Porush alleged that the arrangement resulted in “a completely illogical allocation of party resources, an unfair distribution of positions, and more.”
The bitter dispute over the new faction has unfolded alongside another controversy involving the future political direction of Agudas Yisroel.
Recent reports have claimed that figures within Ger have been considering how the faction would respond to the possible formation of a government headed by Gadi Eisenkot. One report claimed that Yitzchok Goldknopf might abstain rather than vote against an Eisenkot-led minority government, fueling speculation that elements within Agudas Yisroel could move away from their longstanding political alignment with Netanyahu.
Goldknopf subsequently responded by setting out conditions for Agudas Yisroel’s participation in or support for any government.
“Agudat Yisrael will not support the establishment of a government and will not provide outside support to any government without resolving the status of yeshiva students and passing a draft law without sanctions and without quotas,” Goldknopf said.
UTJ chairman MK Yaakov Asher similarly sought to distance the party from speculation that its decisions would be driven by personalities or political retaliation.
“United Torah Judaism has no desire to bring down or crown anyone, and we do not act out of revenge or other interests,” Asher said.
