With the municipal elections behind us and the nation gearing up for the 18th Knesset General Election, it would appear the Shomer Mitzvos community has learned nothing, despite the losses suffered in the respective camps, the result of an inability to unite towards common goals.

MK Zevulun Orlev, who headed the now-defunct National Religious Party, came out in a scathing attack against Shas and United Torah Judaism. Orlev stated the Sephardi chareidi party is no more suited to run the nation’s education portfolio than United Torah Jewry is to handle the defense portfolio.

Orlev stated those who oppose secular and Zionist education in their curriculum are unsuited to control the education portfolio, drawing an analogy from UTJ, stating that the children are educated against serving in the IDF and therefore, the party is not suited to hold the defense portfolio.

The former NRP leader succeeded in joining ranks with National Union, and together, he hopes to remain in a viable position in the next Knesset, well-aware the days of the NRP are long over, waning in support from election to election.

Rather than combating the anti-Torah policies of the Supreme Court and the current administration, the former NRP leader apparently feels more at home with his chareidi-bashing policy, one that yielded results in the Jerusalem mayoral race.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)