The Orthodox Aguda Israel Party held its first internal elections in 30 years yesterday and according to the unofficial count they resulted in a resounding defeat for its hitherto strongest faction headed by MK Shlomo Lorincz. Lorincz, the only Agudist leader opposed to a united front with the relatively more moderate and Zionist-inclined. Poale Aguda Israel, ran a poor third-behind former MK Menahem Porush who came in second. First place went to the “Central Faction” headed by Pinhas Menahem Alter of the Hasidic Gur dynasty.
Observers said today that a new alignment was likely to emerge in the party which could spell the political eclipse of Lorincz. The Aguda, a tiny party to begin with, is fragmented into more than a half-dozen factions representing various Hasidic and other ultra-Orthodox sects. It won only three Knesset seats in the last elections. If the seats are re-allocated, Lorincz is expected to lose his. Lorincz has already charged that Porush “bought” votes. Neutral observers said, however, that Porush had run a well organized and astute campaign.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
