Ha’Am Itanu party leader Eli Yishai is conducting negotiations with singer/ performer Yehoram Gaon, journalist Ben Caspit reports. It is reported the two are friends and last week they held a long meeting in a “friendly atmosphere”.
Aides to Yishai are not denying the report, adding one of the options being probed is that Gaon write them a campaign song. When asked if Yishai is thinking of bringing Gaon on board, they would not Comment.
One source close to Yishai told Maariv “It is not simple. Eli wants anyone who can contribute. There is an effort to bring something new, a right-wing religious Zionist party and there are issues of rabbonim and religion, and at present, it remains to be determined if non-religious people will appear in the lineup. This is a complicated operation and we must act cautiously”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
12 Responses
Please don’t use that picture for Eli Yishai.
It was taken at Harav Ovadia’s Levaya and basic respect for a human being is that you don’t post a cover picture of a person while he is crying, especially another frum yid. Even if you disagree with his or her hashkafat chaim.
The same is true for the picture YWN often uses of Arye Deri bawling after being informed of Marans passing. It’s basic respect.
Yishai should just sit back and watch the Shas political circus self-destruct. The Israeli TV stations are reporting that Deri plans on announcing he is “withdrawing” his resignation and returning to Shas and the Yosef kids will welcome this convicted felon back to the fold, even though it is now clear that their father thought he was unworthy to clean the floors of the beis medrash. Their disgusting performance last week at Maran’s Kever was such a joke that it made you wonder how they believe the Sephardeshe tzibur could be so dumb, but apparently they are.
Go slow Reb Yishai!!!
Closer to election time you will find perfect candidates for your party.
Gaon is very un-hareidi.
Paaaaaaatuach! (Ve HaMeivin Yavin)
That’s a very smart move by Eli yishai to bring onboard people who care for yahdut regardless if there frum or not.
It’s not about Eli yishai it’s about am yisrael
#4,
The Sfardim are not divided by seculars and chardim like Askenazis. Even secular Sfardim, believe in G-d and respect the Torah Greats. That is why Yoram Gaon will help bring more Sfardim in.
We are Am Yisrael – please dont label
G-d chose us before He gave us the Torah
The Nation is extremely important
Gadolhadorah
You are extraordinarily naïve. You neither understand Israel, The Sephardim, Shas nor Rav Ovadia.
I think you will find that Rav Ovadia has created a new core Shas constituent that is comparable to UTJ in size and loyalty. The loyalty is to the organisation and its ideals, not the individual. Polls not mentioned on this site show that close to 2/3 of Shas voters in the previous election intend to vote Shas this time round as well.
The question for Shas is how much of the soft 1/3 of its voters who are flirting with other parties such as Likud/BY/and Kahlon they can pull back at election time.
Cam someone please help me – why is a convicted felon leading this party?
Efraim,
Several issues here I guess.
1. Many Sephardim held and still do that, Deri was a victim of an establishment vendetta which is why in the election at that time Shas got 17 seats. It was also the only election held where it was possible to vote for the prime minister and parties separately, hence allowing for the possibility of such a split protest vote.
2. If we refer to Rav Ovadia’s comments in the 2008 video, you will find that he did not say Deri was guilty but that it was not good to have someone with a conviction to lead the party.
3 You will no doubt be aware of the concept of Teshuva, you could argue that when one has completed his secular sentence and done teshuva, he is forgiven. look into the tanach , its all over the place, think of Yehuda and with him the Kingship rests.
So what is your real question? Think outside the box.
What we are left with is that in our mode of thinking heavily influenced by secularism we don’t think it looks good. That is also how I think by the way.
#7 – but it suggests Yishai is not trying to form another Hareidi party, but a non-hareidi but still religious Sefardi nationalistic party, suggesting the dispute with Shas is le-shem shamayim (about ideology).
#10 – since Deri wasn’t accused of pocketing money – he was accused of transfering money to help yeshivos, which most of his supporters consider a mitsva rather than a felony. In the US, if a public official spent money other than as appropriated, he could be impeached (never happens) but not prosecuted. That Deri was prosecuted for using the same sort of discretionary powers that are usually used by Israeli ministers suggests the only felony involved political persecution based on religion and ethnicity.