Gafni Erupts in Knesset: “Our Lives Are in the Garbage”; Takes Swipe at Shas Amid Heated Debate

Israeli Knesset committee approves bill granting special status to Torah students amid conscription row

Knesset committee votes 10–4 to advance bill amid heated debates in Israel regarding mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews

Knesset advances bill giving Jewish religious studies special status

The bill originally equated study of the Jewish Torah with military service, which could be used to justify ultra-Orthodox men's exclusion from mandatory enlistment. The relevant clause was removed, however, leaving the bill's legal rationale in dispute and its scope undefined

Gafni Erupts in Knesset: “Our Lives Are in the Garbage”; Takes Swipe at Shas Amid Heated Debate

A Knesset committee discussion on the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study erupted into a fiery political confrontation Monday as Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni lashed out at Israel’s legal establishment, clashed with opposition lawmakers, and unexpectedly took aim at Shas during the contentious proceedings. The explosive exchange came against the backdrop of the ongoing dispute over the military draft of yeshiva students, chareidi legislation, and the crisis surrounding government funding for daycare centers serving chareidi families. Opening his remarks, Gafni said the chareidi public had been unfairly targeted throughout the current Knesset term. “What has happened to the chareidi community during this term is simply unbelievable,” he said. He pointed to the daycare funding crisis, arguing that government policies were harming young families and the broader economy. “The daycare issue affects children, babies, and mothers who go out to work,” Gafni said. “When you undermine that system, you prevent women from working and damage the economy.” Gafni then turned his criticism toward the Attorney General’s Office, accusing it of consistently opposing the interests of the chareidi community. “I could go through issue after issue,” he said. “There is not a single aspect of our lives in which the Attorney General is with us. She is against us. Period. Our lives are in the garbage as far as this is concerned.” His remarks immediately sparked an uproar in the committee room. MK Naor Shiri of Yesh Atid fired back, accusing Gafni of being detached from reality. “Your lives are in the garbage?” Shiri responded. “You’re disconnected. The lives that are in the garbage are those of the reservists and the bereaved families. What you’re saying is absurd.” Lawmakers repeatedly shouted over one another as the session briefly descended into chaos. The confrontation reflected the widening divide over legislation concerning yeshiva students and Torah study, with the chareidi parties continuing to insist that their legislative priorities be advanced before they support other coalition initiatives. Later in the debate, Shiri accused the chareidi education system of ethnic discrimination in admissions to seminaries, prompting Gafni to reject the allegation. “My granddaughter studies in Bnei Brak,” Gafni said. “Sixty percent of the girls there are from Sephardic backgrounds. I’ve never even made such calculations.” However, Gafni then unexpectedly directed criticism toward his own coalition partners in Shas. Referring to schools established for Sephardic families, he remarked, “I don’t really understand. They opened schools for Sephardic communities that follow Sephardic customs—so why don’t they themselves send their children there? But that’s not something I ask.” The comment was widely interpreted as a pointed jab at Shas supporters and leadership, suggesting that those advocating separate educational institutions often choose not to enroll their own children in them. The confrontation came amid mounting pressure from the chareidi parties over stalled legislation and an escalating daycare funding crisis. Hundreds of daycare workers face possible layoffs, and dozens of daycare centers in Modi’in Illit and Beitar Illit have warned they may be unable to open for the upcoming school year without an immediate government solution. The political tensions have also intensified following a recent meeting between Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Gafni, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, during which the chareidi leaders reportedly demanded swift advancement of both the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study and legislation aimed at ending the arrests of yeshiva students. Monday’s committee debate underscored the growing strains not only between the chareidi parties and Israel’s legal establishment, but also within the governing coalition itself. {Matzav.com}