Two women running on an ultra-Orthodox party’s Knesset slate are seeking to address longstanding challenges faced by women in the haredi community, including healthcare disparities, employment conditions, education, and the demands of supporting large families. Nechumi Yaffe and Ziva Glanz are the first women to be placed on the candidate list of a haredi party, representing the newly formed Haredi Public party.
Yaffe, who holds the third position on the party’s list, and Glanz, fourth, are campaigning ahead of the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, aiming to bring greater attention to issues frequently overlooked by the established ultra-Orthodox political factions, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ). Both Shas and UTJ, which have played key roles in coalition governments largely led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have historically excluded women from their Knesset candidate lists.
The Haredi Public party differentiates itself by advocating for change within the ultra-Orthodox community and promoting haredi enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Although the party is still polling below the electoral threshold, Glanz said it is gaining support and filling a long-standing political void for both women and others within the community.
Among the critical issues highlighted by Yaffe is women’s health. She noted that women in the haredi community have a five-percent higher mortality rate than others, both at birth and from illnesses such as cancer. Yaffe criticized the absence of haredi representatives addressing women's health in Knesset committees during the current government term and emphasized that awareness campaigns have failed to adequately reach their community, leaving women’s health concerns underrepresented.
Employment challenges also feature prominently in the candidates’ platform. Yaffe pointed out that while the number of working women in the haredi sector has risen substantially over the past two decades, many continue to earn less than their secular counterparts and experience exploitative work conditions. She stressed that these women often face a heavy financial burden supporting large families while their husbands study in yeshiva, leaving them little time or resources to advocate for their rights.
Balancing employment with family responsibilities is a key issue for Glanz, who described the strain many haredi women face in managing professional careers alongside raising children and fulfilling domestic roles. She warned that without sufficient support, families risk collapsing under the stress of burnout.
Education reform is another priority for the candidates. Glanz called for the introduction and state oversight of core curricula, including math and English, in haredi schools to increase future employment opportunities and promote broader reform within the community’s education system.
Regarding military service, Glanz expressed reservations about the IDF’s current capacity to accommodate women and said the army environment remains unsuitable for many. She also acknowledged the difficulties faced by men who enlist, signaling a need for improvements in military integration for haredi recruits.
Both Yaffe and Glanz see their candidacies as groundbreaking steps for political representation of haredi women. Yaffe described their participation as pioneering, pointing to the significant contributions haredi women have made in other sectors and emphasizing the importance of having women involved in major political decision-making for the first time within the haredi political sphere.