It is impossible not to witness in recent weeks the battle of the strong that is taking place in the Sephardic Haredi public, following the split in the political leadership of the Shas movement.<\/p>\r\n
Public attention is drawn to the various moves of the pair of rivals Aryeh Deri and Eli Yishai, with public opinion divided between the hawks, who congratulate So-and-So for his great ability to achieve, his unique personality, and his successful moves, and denigrate So-and-So for his incompetence, his problematic personality, and his moves that are unacceptable in their eyes, and vice versa.<\/p>\r\n
The public interest in this conflict goes far beyond Sephardic Haredi Judaism, and it is also attracting a great deal of attention in the Ashkenazi Haredi community, and to a large extent in Israeli society as a whole. It seems that beyond the personal struggle before us over the familiar issue of "Who is in charge?", the current debate represents more fundamental positions regarding the proper character of a public representative, and at this point I would like to expand on the discussion a little.<\/p>\r\n
On one side stands Aryeh Deri, who seems to have no doubt about his rare political skills, which he has used throughout his long career of thirty years. He is a shrewd and polished man, charismatic and eloquent, with exceptional management skills, a man with worldwide connections with politicians and wealthy individuals, and with a deep and original understanding in a wide variety of fields. Beyond his personal abilities.<\/p>\r\n
He enjoys a long-standing reputation as someone who elevates the image of the Mizrahi community in Israel, and as someone who has earned the respect and admiration of great politicians and statesmen in Israel and abroad.<\/p>\r\n
On the other hand, Aryeh Deri's credibility is inversely proportional to his skills. He was convicted by the court of taking a bribe and served time in prison for it. He is perceived by the public as someone who knows how to manipulate systems, and as someone who will always manage to turn all moves to his side, turning a loss into a success and a defeat into a victory.<\/p>\r\n
He functions as a sole ruler when others are required to conform to his will, and with his ability to always pretend to be innocent and persecuted for no wrong he has done. He often presents himself as a fighter for the great Torah scholars, when in the opinion of most of the public, the great Torah scholars are merely doers of his word.<\/p>\r\n
The complete opposite<\/strong><\/p>\r\n On the other side stands Eli Yishai, who is perceived in every way as the complete opposite of Aryeh Deri. He is a gray man with poor expressiveness, who does not enjoy charisma or extraordinary connections. He is diligent and dedicated to his duties, but he does not impress with his ability or special achievements, and he certainly does not know how to glorify his achievements.<\/p>\r\n His positions and actions on various issues, such as the treatment of refugees or the fire service, have made him a target for ridicule, scorn, and\/or opposition in Israeli society, while he has difficulty gaining sympathy or understanding for his actions. He is seen as someone who has managed to reasonably preserve the party he took over, and as someone who has acquired over the years knowledge, experience, and practical understanding in the fields in which he has operated.<\/p>\r\n At the same time, Eli Yishai's public image enjoys a high level of credibility. He is perceived as clean-handed and internally upright, as a popular man who speaks to the public at eye level, and as someone who is intimately familiar with the disadvantaged. He is also seen as someone who nullifies himself in the presence of Torah scholars, and accepts to act according to their instructions.<\/p>\r\n Deri's supporters generally acknowledge his shortcomings, but they argue that an elected official should not be judged by the parameters of positive personal qualities, but only by the achievements he can bring to his constituents. According to them, there is no doubt that the greatest achievements for the Haredi public in general and for the Mizrahi community in particular, both economically and spiritually, will be achieved by Aryeh Deri far more than by any other person, and therefore it is clear that he should fulfill the role of leading the Shas movement.<\/p>\r\n On the other hand, Yishai's supporters are also generally aware of his limitations, but they argue that it is better to support an elected official who is honest and has equal words and heart, even if his achievements are smaller. According to them, this way they know that when the day comes, he will act in accordance with the values \u200b\u200bfor which he was elected, and there is no fear that he will change his position based on various considerations of expediency.<\/p>\r\n Deri Vichy as a microcosm?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n This question is not unique to the case before us, and is well known in general politics. For example, regarding Ehud Olmert, one of Deri's good friends, some consider him the best prime minister Israel has ever had due to his leadership abilities, while others consider him the worst prime minister Israel has ever had due to the unprecedented corruption and embezzlement that plagued him.<\/p>\r\n It seems that even in Haredi politics, where candidates are selected by Torah scholars, they are required to decide whether to favor representatives based on their performance ability or their moral standards. However, in the case before us, the question seems to be extremely acute.<\/p>\r\n For someone whose participation in the elections is merely a fulfillment of the teachings of the Torah gurus who guide his path, there is not much room for discussion, as he trusts in their informed choice and their training of those they elect. However, in the current reality of the Shas movement, where there is no certainty regarding the hierarchy in the party and the power relations between the Torah gurus and the representatives, this question becomes relevant.<\/p>\r\n At this stage, it appears that "United Torah Judaism" still involves a clear relationship, in which Torah scholars choose their representatives, but it is certainly possible that in the future voters will also be required to decide similar questions.<\/p>\r\n On a theoretical level, I believe that there is a clear preference for choosing a representative who will serve the way, even if she has a lower ability in terms of achievements. Choosing a representative who is perceived as lacking integrity, even if she is capable of bringing about greater achievements, does more harm than good. It damages the image of the Haredi public and involves desecration of God, and it also leads the general public, from institutional managers to ordinary people, to manipulative and dishonest behavior.<\/p>\r\n The central question in choosing a public representative is not whether he is "deserving?" but rather whether we are entitled to representation that operates according to the words of our holy Rabbi in Tractate Avot: "Rabbi says, what is the right path that a person can follow, all that is glory for its doers and glory for him from man"?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The street battles taking place in Shas raise a theoretical question that is more important than the clashes between the two camps: Should a leader be a "performer," with proven management skills, or are qualities of integrity and complete obedience to Torah knowledge more important values?","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[8115,8048,235,805,8114,234],"class_list":["post-126318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-138","tag-8115","tag-8048","tag-235","tag-805","tag-8114","tag-234"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n