Deri to Remain Shas Chairman but Expected to Resign From Knesset

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has reversed his decision to relinquish the party leadership after the Shas Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah instructed him to remain in his position. Deri is nevertheless expected to resign from the Knesset, allowing him to continue directing the party’s political activities without serving as a member of parliament.

The development came Wednesday following a meeting between Deri and Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of the Shas Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah. The meeting followed reports that Deri was considering stepping aside from the leadership after the party’s disappointing performance in Israel’s elections.

The Moetzes made its position clear in a statement published in Haderech, the newspaper affiliated with Shas, declaring that “the Council supports the movement’s chairman and forbids him from resigning.”

In explaining their decision, the rabbonim pointed to the ongoing struggle over the status of yeshiva bochurim and the need for experienced leadership at a particularly difficult time for the chareidi community.

The statement said the present circumstances demanded “the most experienced general to win the war.” Citing halachic principles and the Rambam, the rabbonim maintained that Deri could not abandon his responsibilities while the battle over the future of Torah learning remained unresolved.

The Moetzes also expressed appreciation for Deri’s decades of public service and his efforts on behalf of the Shas movement and the broader Sephardic Torah community.

In their message, the rabbonim pledged that Shas would continue using every available political and public avenue to secure the status of yeshiva students and combat what they described as the persecution of those devoted to Torah learning.

They also extended their appreciation to the approximately 300,000 people who voted for Shas and urged the party’s elected representatives to continue serving the public despite the electoral setback.

Shas suffered a severe defeat in last week’s election, falling from 11 Knesset seats to just six, its poorest showing in decades. The result prompted intense discussions within the party about Deri’s future and whether changes were necessary in its leadership.

Earlier Wednesday, reports indicated that Deri had sought permission from the Moetzes to leave his position entirely. Shas initially disputed reports that he had formally submitted his resignation, while senior rabbonim discussed the possibility of his continuing as chairman without retaining his Knesset seat.

According to additional reports in the Israeli media, Deri’s anticipated departure from the Knesset could also affect the composition of Shas’s parliamentary delegation. There has been discussion of a possible resignation by Moshe Abutbul as well, potentially allowing Ariel Busso, who was placed eighth on the party’s election list, to enter the Knesset. Those arrangements have not been finalized.

The decision to retain Deri at the helm follows more than three decades in which he has been one of the most influential figures in Shas and a central participant in Israeli coalition politics.

For now, the arrangement being discussed would leave Deri responsible for the movement’s overall political direction while transferring his parliamentary seat to another Shas representative.