Moti Leitner says his Haredi Public Party is gaining support despite pressure to withdraw, and insists haredi men who do not study Torah should enlist.
Haredi Public Party chairman Moti Leitner insisted that his party would cross the electoral threshold in the upcoming Knesset election despite pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and established haredi parties to withdraw from the race, telling 103FM on Friday morning that internal polling showed growing support.
Speaking to Ron Kofman and Prof. Aryeh Eldad, Leitner discussed his party's chances of entering the Knesset and explained why he believes a segment of the haredi community is seeking an alternative political home.
"We are setting out to win. We will cross the electoral threshold with full force. Our polls show us winning between two and three seats, and we are on an upward trajectory," Leitner said.
"I can see the momentum. It started at fractions of a percentage point, and we have already crossed 2%. We will see what the polls we conduct in the coming days show. We are here for those who have no political home."
Leitner also described his party's preparations for election day.
"Of course, we have invested significant resources and established a large, highly calibrated operation. We are fully focused on election day," he said.
Haredi voters reluctant to publicly support the party
Leitner acknowledged that his party's polls have struggled to accurately measure support among haredi voters, partly because some are reluctant to publicly identify with the party.
"Our pollsters are having difficulty sampling our voters. We are also seeing considerable growth outside the haredi community, particularly among the traditional public. But some voters are afraid to express their identification with the party and openly acknowledge it. Anyone who publicly identifies with it faces threats and violence and could pay a very heavy price."
"People are sending anonymous links, and it is hard to believe who is behind them," he added.
According to Leitner, the haredi community is not a monolithic bloc, and attitudes toward his party vary among its communities and rabbis.
"There is no chief of staff here," he said. "Haredi society is divided into many streams and diverse communities. Tens of thousands of haredim ask their rabbis a great many questions. Alongside the rabbis who support us, we see many rabbis who have not publicly announced their support for us but express that support to their students."
Leitner believes support for his party is much broader than its public visibility suggests.
"We feel that there are tens of thousands of haredim who are going to vote for us, who want to take responsibility for our future and the future of the country."
Haredi enlistment and responsibility for Israel's future
The issue of haredi enlistment in the IDF is central to the party's platform. Leitner seeks to distinguish between haredi men who are not studying Torah and yeshiva students, whom he believes should continue to receive exemptions from military service.
"Anyone who does not study Torah must take responsibility and enlist. We will encourage them and respect them."
At the same time, he argued that yeshiva students should remain exempt from military service.
"We believe that the Torah is the foundation of our existence and that it is what has protected us to this day. This is a debate we will not resolve," he said.
He emphasized the need to pursue practical solutions.
"In politics, the goal is to solve problems and move us forward. The IDF says it is short 12,000 combat soldiers? We will get them."
Leitner argued that greater haredi participation in civic and national security responsibilities serves the interests of both the haredi community and the country as a whole.
"The fundamental problem is one of values. We, as haredim, need to take responsibility for our lives, understand that the State of Israel is also ours, take responsibility for the country, participate in the economy and in security service, and be part of the Jewish story," Leitner declared.
"If we do not do this, we are putting both haredi society and the State of Israel at risk."