I moderated a panel today at the second high-tech conference in the ultra-Orthodox sector (JVP Production, (Full disclosure: I was paid for my participation) And I was happy that Idina Bar Shalom, the daughter of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spoke a little about the political upheavals of the past. Many who are involved and interested in the political arena knew that there was a political buzz around Bar Shalom, that she had the virus, but they kept saying that she would not run or compete as long as her father was alive. Moreover, When I wrote a column in Maariv A few months ago, when she was the right candidate for president (in my eyes), I was told: "Take note, she's not into politics because it was difficult for her to move forward and act in the Shasnik arena, which restricted her steps.".
But since the passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Bar-Shalom has been interviewed several times, and in one of them (I think, Yedioth Ahronoth) she told what was little known: As long as her father was alive, his surroundings made it difficult for her to think about the next step for her - jumping into political waters.
Well, today at the panel she completed one more part of the picture.
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About a decade ago, she thought it would be right for her, as a move to advance Haredi in academia and also as a public political act, to be appointed as a member of the Council for Higher Education. She began to act and work towards her election (the president, on the recommendation of the government, determines who the members will be) and also discussed it with her father, who thought the idea and timing were right. To her dismay, then-Shas chairman Eli Yishai, who feared the positions of the Haredi-Ashkenazi public and for his own political reasons, thwarted her move and, through her father, set up roadblocks for her.
Eli Yishai's move pushed Bar-Shalom into a corner and caused her to hesitate completely and even postpone any political turn for at least a decade.
Today, Bar-Shalom spoke on her own behalf, at a panel discussion that dealt with the integration of Haredim in academia.
Without a doubt, in 2014, a very significant portion of the problems experienced by the heads of colleges for training ultra-Orthodox Jews and also the heads of universities (where, especially in Hebrew and Tel Aviv, the integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews is very limited) could have been solved if Bar-Shalom had sat on the Council for Higher Education.
This story may seem unimportant to those who do not understand the difficulties of climbing to the top of politics in the Haredi world, especially when it comes to a woman.
MK Eli Yishai responded: "I regret Ms. Adina Bar Shalom's inaccurate statements. The data she has is incorrect, and in any case, I have never had the ability to include her as a member of the Haredi College or prevent her from joining. I congratulate Ms. Adina Bar Shalom on her activity in establishing the Haredi College in Jerusalem. I support expanding higher education options for the Haredi public and have worked on this issue for many years, and I continue to work to open the gates of higher education to the Haredi public today."
http://www.talschneider.com/2014/05/13/barshalomeliyishai/
• 'Haaretz: Adina Bar Shalom considered running with Moshe Kahlon
• Adina Bar Shalom: Seriously thinking about running for the Knesset
