| ID | 187562 |
| Title Proper | Guardians of Jewish tradition |
| Other Title Information | from crisis to rehabilitation in the Shas party, 2019-21 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Leon, Nissim |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The big drama of Israel’s four closely spaced national elections in 2019–21 was accompanied by another, smaller, drama: the country’s plunge into political chaos gave the Shas party an opportunity for electoral, organisational, and political revitalisation. The four election campaigns transformed Shas from a Mizrahi-Haredi party in decline, barely able to pass the minimum vote threshold, into a stable party practicing a tightly focused politics – living proof that Haredi politicians were again occupying positions of power and influence. Not only did Shas do outstanding organisational and political work; it also demonstrated an impressive ability to align with the Israeli right’s core national-political agenda: the connection between security and tradition. The language of the Shas message evolved from one election campaign to another: what started as a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) discourse of cultural partnership with a religious-lite or masorti (traditionalist) public turned into a Zionist discourse of national partnership with a ‘right-lite’ voting public (Likud). |
| `In' analytical Note | Israel Affairs Vol. 28, No.6; Dec 2022: p.840-855 |
| Journal Source | Israel Affairs Vol: 28 No 6 |
| Key Words | Likud ; Shas ; 2019-21 Israeli Elections ; Aryeh Deri ; Ultra-Orthodox Politics |