From Shas to Likud: Former MK Rabbi Haim Amsalem, who ran in the last Knesset elections at the head of the Am Shalem list, announced his joining the Likud movement. His decision was made following the increase in the threshold - which, according to the results of the previous elections, gives him no chance of being elected to the Knesset as an independent. Amsalem decided to join the Likud after the failure of his talks to join the Jewish Home party.
In conversation with Haredim10 Rabbi Amsalem says: "The Am Shalem movement will spread its ideas within the framework of the national movement, where we can promote our idea. Most of the people who function are traditional and religious Jews, and many are also Haredi. Our integration into the movement will give a boost to the Haredi voice.".
Amsalem refers to the Likud movement as an ideal national and democratic party, and says that as of now, his exact place on the list has not been finalized. However, he and his team are currently working on a complete voter census for the Likud party. He estimates that within a few months he will transfer more than 1,000 functionaries to the Likud who will give him their votes. According to him, "The Prime Minister is already informed about this. We have excellent relations.".
As Amsalem explains, the idea of the movement he heads includes the same motto he ran with in the last elections: moderate Judaism and social justice. "As I received at the seminary of the great men of Israel, we will work for a Torah that combines work and livelihood with dignity," he says, adding that he will also work to promote service in the IDF, "while taking into account and preserving the character of the Haredi public.".
He says he will focus primarily on his fight to prevent assimilation and mixed marriages. "400,000 descendants of Jews are half-Gentiles," he explains, "and the rulings write that they should be made more lenient and converted. Before the last elections, I published a protocol by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ztzel, which implies in one respect that he treated the matter exactly as I did. He is one of the greatest lenient ones who have arisen in our generation.".
How do we fight assimilation?
""The stricter you are with conversion, the easier you are with assimilation. There will be no fake conversions. There should be no difference between a rabbinical court that converts and a court established by a city rabbi or a local rabbi.".
Do "half-Jews" even have the willingness and desire to enter into the conversion process?
""They don't have the desire, they've lost it. We did them an injustice. Most of them wanted to be part of it, to be traditional, religious, but they weren't given the opportunity. They were pushed away. It's enough for them to be Jews like all Jews, it doesn't require them to behave as lightly as severely. And whoever wants to continue living as a Gentile - it's irrelevant. There's no point in adding Gentiles. This causes assimilation.".
Amsalem argues that the law that allows city rabbis to convert must be reinstated. "Just as they are trusted in eruvim and mikvahs, so too in the matter of conversions according to Halacha. According to the current situation, the rabbinate has ended its function from the moment it was robbed into the realm of foreign interests.".
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