DRAMA IN AGUDAS YISRAEL: Belzer Representative Yisrael Eichler To Be Replaced

Following the drama surrounding the ouster of UTJ MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev, a decision was made by the Belzer chassidus during the past week that Agudas Yisrael Deputy Minister Yisrael Eichler, the Belzer representative on the UTJ slate, will conclude his role and be replaced by Rav Elyakim Stark, one of the Chassidus’s senior activists.

The significant decision was supposed to be announced on Sunday, but the official announcement was postponed due to the Rebbe’s health condition.

Agudas Yisrael’s leadership will convene this evening at 6:00 p.m. to finalize the composition of the list.

Rav Elyakim Stark is the chairman of the Belzer chassidus’s Executive Committee and a powerful political figure in the chassidus. In the last municipal elections, he effectively managed the entire political operation and gained extensive political experience.

Rav Stark also heads a chaburah for Chassidish bochurim from abroad who learn at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he spends a considerable portion of his day. In the evenings, he is involved in public and Torah-related activities on behalf of the Chassidus’s institutions and in external relations, as a shliach of the Rebbe’s only son, HaRav Aharon Mordechai Rokeach.

In addition, Stark is active in the Or HaTzafon Institute, which is engaged in clarifying the teachings of the Belzer Rabbanim and researching the history of the Chassidus. His work over the years in the educational, Torah, and communal spheres has placed him among the leading activists in the chassidus.

According to a Kikar H’Shabbat report, Deputy Minister Eichler was shocked when he received the news over the past 24 hours, but made clear that he accepts whatever the Rebbe decides.

Sources in Belz Chassidus told Kikar: “It can be said that Eichler was genuinely hurt by the move. He did not expect it — but as a loyal chassid, he accepts the decision.”

Eichler and Stark with President Herzog.

“It had already seemed certain that Eichler would continue, and now everything has changed. It may be that because of the decision in Degel to remove the veteran and capable MKs, it was decided to carry out a renewal here as well.”