Israel – Shas chairman Arye Deri hit out harshly at MK Eli Yishai on Saturday night for breaking away from the party, declaring that he was not “following the path of Maran,” Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, its late spiritual guide.
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Yishai announced last week that he was splitting from Shas and forming his own party, Speaking on Channel 2’s Meet the Press, Deri addressed Yishai directly and said they had offered him everything possible, but that he decided instead to create conflict and was going against what Yosef would have wanted.
“You are causing division and harming that which Maran worked to build,” said Deri.
The Shas chair said that if it was too difficult for Yishai to accept Yosef’s decision to appoint Deri as chair, ousting Yishai in the process, he should just “go home,” adding that “politics isn’t everything.”
Deri made his way back to Shas at the end of 2012 ahead of the 2013 elections when the party was headed by a triumvirate of Yishai, Deri and then MK Ariel Atias, but Deri eventually was appointed the lone party chair.
“Who appointed me head of the movement?” Deri asked rhetorically.
“Maran,” he answered, and called on Yishai to go to Yosef’s grave to ask for his forgiveness.
Referring to Yishai’s new party, Ha’am Itanu, Deri said only Shas was the true continuation of Yosef’s ideas and path, noting that Yishai had brought in “different partners whose paths are different.”
Yishai’s office said he declined to respond to Deri’s comments, except to say that he “relies on the Jewish people to do the right thing on Election Day.”
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
Arye derri the thief gannev would be better of keeping his mouth shut about yishai,.yishay was never in jail or accused of thievery,if that is the path of which his mentor yosef taught him then he should be very ashamed of himself ,which he apparantly lacks wow he has the nerve to accuse yishay what a perverted thinking he exhibits.
No 1 is correct. This is a political decision. No one knows or cares what Rav Yosef would have done had he still been alive. These guys have different political views and the Sephardeshe tzibur is entitled to have their choice of candidate. Dere is a convicted felon who should never have been allowed to return to a political leadership position. I won’t quibble with Yosef on matters of halacha but on this political matter he was 100 percent wrong.
“he should just “go home,” adding that “politics isn’t everything.” This coming from Arye Deri who lives and breathes politics. I dont care about either of these politicians, however I really hope that Yishai’s party destroys the Shas monopoly.
Rav Ovadia didn’t start Shas, Rav Shach did.