United Torah Judaism

:See: Torah Judaism dealing with an Orthodox Judaism term.

Related Topics:
Torah Judaism - Orthodox Judaism

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United Torah Judaism (Hebrew: יהדות התורה המאוחדת) (UTJ) was a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. As of 2005 it is no longer functioning as a party of its own. When it joined Prime Minister of Israel's ruling coalition in 2004 it split into its two constituent factions of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel.

Related Topics:
Hebrew - Haredi - Israel - Knesset - 2005 - Prime Minister of Israel - 2004 - Degel HaTorah - Agudat Israel

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UTJ was always a coalition of two factions:

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• The Degel HaTorah ("Flag of Torah") party that is guided by the rabbinic heads of Haredi Ashkenazi Jews who are Mitnagdim (those who were not, and were often historically opposed to, Hasidism).
• The Agudat Yisrael ("Union Israel") party that is guided by the followers of Hasidism in Israel, and also consisting of Ashkenazi Jews.

Degel HaTorahs pre-eminent sage and guide is presently Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, well into his 90s, who lives in Jerusalem. Policy decisions are also weighed and decided by a Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah ("Council of Torah Sages"), a council of experienced communal rabbis, made up of mostly senior and elderly heads of yeshivas all very learned in Talmud, devoted to halakha (classical Jewish law), and guided by their knowledge and application of the classical "Code of Jewish Law", the Shulkhan Arukh.

Related Topics:
Yosef Shalom Eliashiv - Jerusalem - Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah - Heads of yeshivas - Talmud - Halakha - Shulkhan Arukh

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The Agudat Yisrael faction takes its directions from the Hasidic rebbes of Gur, Vizhnitz, and Belz also steeped in Torah law and mysticism, who wield a lot of control over the daily lives of their followers (the "Hasidim").

Related Topics:
Rebbe - Gur - Vizhnitz - Belz - Torah - Mysticism

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Prior to the formation of UTJ and the establishment of Degel HaTorah, the two factions were united under one united Agudat Yisrael party, but the late mentor and supreme guide of the non-Hasidic group, Rabbi Elazar Shach decided to break away from the Hasidic wing when it was clear that the party was too strongly controlled by Hasidic groups whom he considered not up to his standing. At that point he split from them, and created the Degel HaTorah party for the "Lithuanian" mitnagdic Haredi Jews. He chose the name Degel HaTorah meaning "Flag The Torah" to be a contrast to the well-known flag of Israel and its connection with the secular-dominated State of Israel (an "anti-Torah" symbol) in his opinion.

Related Topics:
Elazar Shach - Lithuanian - Mitnagdic - Flag of Israel - State of Israel

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The UTJ party also had considerable influence on the Israeli Sephardic Jews' Shas party. In fact, the Shas party was founded by Rabbi Shach at an earlier juncture when he was frustrated with the policies of the Hasidic rebbes, so he turned to the Sephardic Jews who voted for the new Shas party in record numbers. Later, Shas broke with Rabbi Shach as it adopted its own independent political stance under Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Yet, Shas always "looks over its shoulder" to see what the Ashkenazi Haredi parties are up to, and usually goes in the same direction as it has similar needs and interests within the state.

Related Topics:
Sephardi - Shas - Ovadia Yosef

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