MK, Pushed Out Of Shas For Taking Liberal View Of Conversions, Starts His Own Political Party

Five months after his expulsion from Shas, Knesset Member Rabbi Chaim Amsellem confirmed Wednesday that it was his intention to run for the 19th Knesset with his new movement – Am Shalem, which means complete, whole or entire nation.

 

Shas rebel MK founds new movement
Rabbi Chaim Amsellem announces intentions to run for 19th Knesset with Am Shalem, his new party which aims to bring secular, religious closer together
Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

Five months after his expulsion from Shas, Rebellious Knesset Member Rabbi Chaim Amsellem confirmed Wednesday that it was his intention to run for the 19th Knesset with his new movement – Am Shalem (Whole Nation.)

Amsellem said that his new party "is heading towards the unknown in the aims of becoming an influential political force in the State of Israel".
 
Amsellem was speaking at a launch party for the new movement held in Jerusalem. It is estimated that he will try to merge his new party with the united national-religious list ahead of the next elections.

"We didn't casually decide on this new path. We did so after deep thought and after gauging the public mood," Amsellem noted.

He added that his party's agenda would focus on bringing the secular and religious sectors closer together, encouraging the haredi sector to join the workforce, separating religion from politics – but not from the state - campaigning against communal segregation in haredi communities, and recognition of IDF conversions.

Amsellem said that efforts must be made to stop prompting vast numbers of people within the nation who are already shrinking away from religion and tradition to hate religion. "The unity of the Jewish people is its Iron Dome. We will not forsake it,"  he said.
 
'Precipice of revolution'

During his speech Amsellem made it clear that he respects the rabbis who are "the great sages of Israel" but not the parties run by their aids or others with dubious interests while illegitimately take advantage of the rabbis' reputation.

The chairman of the Am Shalem movement, Moshe Zarfati called the foundation of the new movement "a message of unity, tolerance, equality and true deeply rooted Judaism." According to Zarfati, "we are standing at the precipice of a revolution".
 
Zarfati presented survey results that showed that 6% of the voting public said that there was a high to very high chance that they would vote for a party led by Rabbi Amsellem. He believes that it was within the new party's power to sweep five mandates, and in the party's target audience it could reach 13 mandates.

The party chairman also announced the launch of "Operation Ten Thousand", to get 10,000 new members to join the movement. Zarfati claims that "we have the support of many important rabbis. They remain anonymous at the moment for understandable reasons, but they will reveal themselves when the time is right."

Comments

[Dutch]

Am Shalaim is his last name Amsallam. What an ego.

[Dave]

So what if he has an ego- everything that I've read about him makes me think that he's a decent guy. I want to start a Canadian Friends of Amshalem party.

[Billy Ben Utamid]

Israel needs more pluralism in so many ways. Anything that expands the acceptance of conversion other than haredi conversion is a good thing. I hope he siphons a lot of votes from Shas. The party name Am Shalem sounds like an affirmation of the traditional statement, "Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Lazeh," (all Israel responsible for one another). This should mean, all Israel, including secular, reform, traditional, orthodox, or whatever; men and women; gay and straight; liberal and conservative. Unfortunately to the haredi Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Lazeh seems to mean, everybody should give to us, support our yeshivas, and honor our religious leaders, but we have no reciprocal obligation to support non-orthodox synagogues, honor non-haredi conversions, or respect the opinions of non-haredi rabbis.

I don't know where Amsallam is on all these issues, but if he wants to expand conversions, it's a great start.

[Billy Ben Utamid]

Sorry, I meant Amsellem; I was misled by the typo in the first comment here by Dutch.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Same shit, different day.

IMHO, of'course ;)

[Adam Neira]

There will not be a 19th Knesset election if Moshiach, his team and the Sanhedrin is properly established in the coming months. The good Rabbi has some meritorious qualities and his desire to serve the people in the political sphere is admirable. However all this shuffling of deckchairs may prove unnecessary.

[masortiman]

"He added that his party's agenda would focus on bringing the secular and religious sectors closer together, encouraging the haredi sector to join the workforce, separating religion from politics – but not from the state - campaigning against communal segregation in haredi communities, and recognition of IDF conversions."

sounds good to me - and I think the name is clever

[masortiman]

"Am Shalaim is his last name Amsallam. What an ego."

yeah, so TOTALLY different from all the other israeli pols, who are so humble.

[Justin Time]

Adam, your May deadline is fast approaching. I hope you've booked your flights - last minute airfares to the Middle East can be terribly expensive. Presuming that Moshiach and his band of merry men are to travel by air, that is. Will you travel coach, or does the chosen one expect to be transported at the pointy end of the plane? Those fully-reclining beds and linen are mighty comfortable, and the last thing you'd want is to arrive in Jerusalem feeling peaky, what with all that work to do.