# United Torah Judaism: what they've published Close Read, episode 37. United Torah Judaism (יהדות התורה), list 37, ballot letters ג. Published October 21, 2026. Israel's Knesset election is on October 27, 2026. - Page: https://closeread.show/israel-2026/united-torah-judaism/ - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkVMZmFcLyk - Audio: https://media.closeread.show/audio/closeread-037-united-torah-judaism-993c2cf3.mp3 United Torah Judaism has no written platform for this election. What it has published is a short slogan on a campaign ad, "The right to be Haredi," next to the letter Gimel. [S3](#source-s3) ## Who is United Torah Judaism? United Torah Judaism runs under the letter Gimel, officially as "United Torah Judaism and Shabbat, Agudat Yisrael, Degel HaTorah," headed by Yaakov Asher of Degel HaTorah. [S2](#source-s2) The list was submitted by three parties this time: Degel HaTorah, Agudat Yisrael, and a third party, Chomat Torat Yisrael. [S2](#source-s2) ## What has United Torah Judaism published? I looked for a platform, the Hebrew word is matza, and didn't find one. The party has no website that I could find. Its verified Facebook page describes it in one line: "Legislation. Society and welfare. Protecting what matters to the people of Israel." [S7](#source-s7) The newest post I could see on that page, without logging in, is from November 2022. [S7](#source-s7) The party's X account, logged out, showed nothing newer than April 2024. [S8](#source-s8) What the party did publish is a campaign ad with the slogan "The right to be Haredi!" [S3](#source-s3) It ran on the front page of Yated Ne'eman, the daily newspaper affiliated with Degel HaTorah, on September 25. [S3](#source-s3) That same front page announced the campaign launch and listed three focus areas. [S4](#source-s4) I'm treating that front page as close to an official statement, because of the paper's ties to the party, but it is a newspaper item and not a party document. [S4](#source-s4) For anything more detailed, I used two public video interviews with Yaakov Asher from August and early September. [S5](#source-s5) [S6](#source-s6) One thing to know: he gave both interviews before he was named head of the list. [S5](#source-s5) [S6](#source-s6) Both videos are linked in the description, with timestamps for every quote I use. ## What does United Torah Judaism say about security and foreign policy? I couldn't find a published position on Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, the Palestinians, or foreign relations. ## What does United Torah Judaism say about accountability for October 7? On a state commission of inquiry, I found nothing published. ## What does United Torah Judaism say about the economy and the cost of living? The campaign lists "the war on the cost of living" as one of its three focus areas. [S4](#source-s4) It doesn't name a specific measure. In the August interview, Asher said Haredi society is "not an economic burden." [S6](#source-s6) He also said he does not tell full-time Torah students to go to work, and that a man who doesn't become a Torah scholar "needs to make a living." [S6](#source-s6) ## What does United Torah Judaism say about housing? The housing crisis is another of the three focus areas. [S4](#source-s4) Asher went into the most detail on this. In the August interview he said the state's job is to reduce regulation, shorten approval processes, and bring down land prices to lower the cost of building. [S6](#source-s6) He called Israel's planning and building laws cumbersome and said he'd cut the planning law by at least 80 percent. [S6](#source-s6) He said the housing crisis ends when supply catches up with demand. [S6](#source-s6) He also described what he called his dream: the state allocating land to local authorities to build Haredi neighborhoods in cities across the country. [S6](#source-s6) He said sending Haredim to a new town like Kasif, in the Negev, can't be the whole answer. [S6](#source-s6) ## What does United Torah Judaism say about religion and state? This is the center of the campaign. The first focus area is "regulating the status of Torah students." [S4](#source-s4) In Haredi political language, that phrase refers to a law that keeps full-time yeshiva students' deferral from military service. The second focus area is "preserving the Jewish character of the state," without detail on which laws that covers. [S4](#source-s4) On the draft itself, Asher said at the September 2 conference that a law affecting a million and a half people can't pass "by force," and needs agreement, dialogue, and a gradual process. [S5](#source-s5) "You don't suppress faith by force," he said. [S5](#source-s5) He said anyone who wants to study Torah full time should be able to. [S5](#source-s5) He also said his side had proposed a civilian security track, giving the example of guard duty in the Prison Service, and that the other side turned it down. [S5](#source-s5) ## What does United Torah Judaism say about the judiciary and governance? At the same September 2 conference, asked whether he supports writing the values of the Declaration of Independence into a Basic Law, Asher said he's against it, because the only interpreters of a Basic Law are "15 people," meaning the Supreme Court's justices. [S5](#source-s5) On the police, he said officers need backing and the police should be kept "as non-political as possible." [S5](#source-s5) ## What does United Torah Judaism say about education? I couldn't find a published position on education. ## What does United Torah Judaism say about health? On health, I found nothing published. ## What does United Torah Judaism say about social welfare, pensions and the elderly? Their Facebook page names "society and welfare" as an area of work, but I couldn't find a published position on welfare, pensions, or the elderly. [S7](#source-s7) ## What does United Torah Judaism say about Arab citizens and minorities? In the August interview, Asher said he had supported state-led building in Arab towns, with a dedicated government department for it. [S6](#source-s6) At the September conference, asked about crime, he said "a great deal of blame" also lies with the Arab community and its leaders. [S5](#source-s5) ## What does United Torah Judaism say about immigration, absorption and the diaspora? I couldn't find a published position on immigration, absorption, or the diaspora. ## What does United Torah Judaism say about the environment, energy and transportation? On the environment, energy, or transportation, I found nothing published. ## What United Torah Judaism puts front and center The slogan, "The right to be Haredi!" [S3](#source-s3) The Yated front page said the message was chosen because of what it called the "denial of rights" and "persecution" of the Haredi public. [S4](#source-s4) ## What United Torah Judaism hasn't published There's no written platform. I found no published position on security, October 7, education, health, welfare, immigration, or the environment. The cost of living and the Jewish character of the state appear as goals without details. What detail there is on the draft, housing, and the courts comes from the leader's interviews and not from a party document. ## Chapters - 0:00 Intro - 0:17 About this series - 0:44 Who they are - 1:04 What they've published - 2:15 Security and foreign policy - 2:27 October 7, Economy - 3:02 Housing - 3:45 Religion and state - 4:40 Judiciary and governance - 5:42 Education, Environment: no stated position - 5:54 What they put front and center - 6:10 What's missing ## Sources - S1: [Central Elections Committee, "רשימות המועמדים לכנסת" (index of all lists submitted for the 26th Knesset, with ballot letters)](https://www.gov.il/he/pages/candidates-lists-26) (CEC web page, Hebrew, published page updated 2026-09-30) - S2: [CEC page for list ג, "יהדות התורה והשבת אגודת ישראל - דגל התורה": submitting parties, full 120-name list, ballot slip image](https://www.gov.il/he/pages/yahadut-degel_list37) (CEC web page + ballot image, Hebrew, published 2026-09-09, updated 2026-09-29) - S3: [Campaign ad "הזכות להיות חרדי!" with the ג ballot slip, printed on the front page of Yated Ne'eman, 2026-09-25. Image obtained from the7eye.org.il's reproduction of the front page](https://cdn.the7eye.org.il/uploads/2026/09/12YTD2592026-1.jpg) (Campaign ad (print), Hebrew, published 2026-09-25) - S4: [Yated Ne'eman (Degel HaTorah's daily) front page, 2026-09-25: "הושק קמפיין הבחירות של 'יהדות התורה'" with the campaign's stated focus areas. Same image as S3](https://cdn.the7eye.org.il/uploads/2026/09/12YTD2592026-1.jpg) (Newspaper front-page item, Hebrew, published 2026-09-25) - S5: [Yaakov Asher interviewed by Yuval Karni and Shilo Freid, "Zman Hachra'a: Democracy and Society" conference (Yedioth Ahronoth group with the Israel Democracy Institute), posted by IDI. Recorded before he became list leader](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOkvJyKqao) (Interview video, Hebrew, published 2026-09-02) - S6: [Yaakov Asher on "HaMachlitim," Nadlan Media's political and real-estate podcast, host Atila Shumfalvi. Recorded before he became list leader](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxooB7o0r9w) (Interview video (podcast), Hebrew, published 2026-08-12) - S7: [יהדות התורה (verified party page): intro text; latest visible posts from November 2022](https://www.facebook.com/yahdutatora/) (Official Facebook page, Hebrew, published n/a) - S8: [@YahdutAtora ("the official Twitter account of the United Torah Judaism party"); latest visible posts from April 2024](https://x.com/YahdutAtora) (Official X account, Hebrew, published n/a)