Under the guidance of leading rabbis—yeshiva heads Rabbi Dov Lando and Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch—the Degel HaTorah party announced a dramatic decision: its representatives will not recommend any candidate to the president to form a government.
The move could shake up Israel’s political system, as parties typically endorse candidates during the president’s post-election consultations. Degel HaTorah, an ultra-Orthodox party in the United Torah Judaism alliance, is breaking with standard practice by refusing to back either major candidate.
The party’s rabbinic leadership, known as “our rabbis and teachers” in the announcement, made the decision. Both Rabbi Lando and Rabbi Hirsch are prominent figures who guide the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community’s political decisions.