Agudat Yisrael

Agudat Jisra'el (Hebrew מפלגת " אגודת ישראל " ), in the Ashkenazi environment Agudas Yisroel or just Aguda (h ) is an Ashkenazi ultra-orthodox Jewish party in Israel who were interested in the influence of the Torah and Jewish law ( Halakha ) in employed by the Jewish society in Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. It stands in the tradition of the movement founded in 1912 Agudas Israel The Aguda rejects the secular Zionism has always been off, an attitude that has not changed with their entry into the political system of the State of Israel.

Goals of the party

The idea of Agudat Jisra'el according to a national salvation can not be achieved through the political movement of Zionism, but only by compliance with all laid down in the Torah religious commandments ( mitzvot ). Nevertheless, the party is trying to exert maximum influence on the ideological orientation of the state of Israel. From the struggle against the Zionist state was a struggle for the state of Israel in the context of political opportunities more and more. One of the results of this experiment was negotiated with David Ben- Gurion status quo, which should secure the Jewish character of the Zionist state. Contents of this status quo treaty were, inter alia, assurances to anchor the Sabbath as a day of rest national, and that marriage and divorce jurisdiction of the rabbinical courts is reserved on the basis of Halacha.

In order to strengthen its political role, the Agudat Jisra'el joined with other religious parties ( Poalei Agudat Jisra'el, Mizrachi and HaPo'el haMisrachi ) in the elections for the first Knesset in 1949 to a joint election list of the United Religious Front, together. Through the subsequent dissolution of the association and the formation of other religious parties, the political weight of the Agudat Jisra'el remained relatively low until 1981, they could never win more than four parliamentary seats in elections. Nevertheless, it allowed the political conditions in Israel, that the party was partly decisive for the coalitions. In 1977, the party was first involved in the government.

In 1983 they parted Sephardic followers of the Agudat Jisra'el and founded the " Shas " party, whereby the parent party was reduced to just two seats in Parliament.

1987 split from the wings of the mitnagdim party Degel HaTorah and founded the. Because of the separation was a the 18th century reaching bitter enmity between mitnagdim and Hasidim.

In the elections to the 14th Knesset coalition United Torah Judaism, between Agudat Jisra'el and Degel ha - Torah again won four Knesset seats and was involved in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. The coalition cited by Likud electoral alliance took in terms of foreign and security policy, a moderate position. Even in the government of Ehud Barak, she was involved until 1999, but sent no minister in the government.