Yaakov Asher
Mayor of Bnei Brak from 2008 to 2013 and a Knesset member since 2016 (after an initial term in 2013–2015), Yaakov Asher was designated in early September 2026 by the rabbinic leadership of Degel HaTorah to head the United Torah Judaism list, replacing Moshe Gafni, who was removed after 38 years in the Knesset.
- Ideology
- Litvish Ashkenazi Haredi (non-Hasidic), religious conservative
- Current role
- Head of the United Torah Judaism list, chairman of Degel HaTorah
- Born
- July 2, 1965Ramat Gan
Key takeaways
- 01
Mayor of Bnei Brak since 2008, educated in Litvish (non-Hasidic) yeshivas.
- 02
Knesset member since 2013, with an interruption in 2015–2016.
- 03
Deputy speaker of the Knesset since February 2022.
- 04
Described as close to Rabbi Dov Lando, a figure in the Litvish leadership.
- 05
Designated in early September 2026 to head the United Torah Judaism list, replacing Moshe Gafni.
- 06
In October 2026, made any participation in the government conditional on the prior passage of a law on the status of yeshiva students, and said that his party was not part of any bloc.
Controversies
His rise to the leadership of UTJ is accompanied by an internal realignment unprecedented since the alliance's founding in 1992. Knesset member Meir Porush and Elyakim Stark launched a new, separate party, “Homat Torat Israel,” distinct from Agudat Israel, by purchasing an existing party that had remained inactive, in an operation prepared over approximately a year. This move followed accusations that the Hasidic leadership of Gur, dominant within Agudat Israel, was delaying budget transfers intended for other Haredi streams. Degel HaTorah, informed of the plan in advance, helped keep it secret, while Agudat Israel and the Gur stream opposed it.
Born on July 2, 1965, in Ramat Gan, Yaakov Asher studied at several Litvish yeshivas (Mishkan Yaakov in Haifa, Rabbi Amiel in Tel Aviv, Grodno in Ashdod, Beit Yehuda kollel in Bnei Brak) and performed a brief period of reserve service under the “Shlav Bet” arrangement reserved for yeshiva students. His career began in 1990 in the municipal administration of Bnei Brak, where he rose through the ranks of the education department. In 2000, he headed the UTJ-affiliated list in Elad (defeated in the municipal election, but became a deputy on the council), then returned to Bnei Brak in 2003 as the leading Degel HaTorah representative on the joint council list, before becoming mayor of Bnei Brak in 2008, unopposed.
He entered the Knesset in 2013 (19th Knesset, 7th place on the UTJ list), lost his seat in 2015 and then became secretary-general of Degel HaTorah, before returning to the Knesset in 2016 (replacing Meir Porush), and subsequently being reelected in 2019 and 2021. He chaired the Constitution Committee and then, more recently, the Interior and Environment Committee, from which he resigned in protest against the failure to pass a law exempting Haredim from service. He was appointed deputy speaker of the Knesset on February 28, 2022. He is described as close to Rabbi Dov Lando, a figure in the Litvish leadership who worked to bring about Gafni's removal.
In early September 2026, Rabbi Lando notified Gafni and Uri Maklev by letter of their removal from the list. The final lists were submitted on September 8, 2026, with Asher designated to head the joint UTJ list. This removal, which ended Gafni's 38 years in the Knesset and more than a decade as chairman of the Finance Committee, is presented by the sources consulted as a consequence of the failure to secure a broad law exempting Haredim from service. It also marks a shift toward Rabbi Lando's harder line, in contrast to Gafni's more conciliatory approach.
Coverage of Asher personally remains focused on his institutional career. No personal controversy is specific to him, apart from the context of the transition from Gafni.
For the first time since United Torah Judaism (UTJ) was founded in 1992, a third party is joining the alliance between Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael. MKs Meir Porush and Elyakim Stark announced that they will run on the joint list under a new party, "Homat Torat Israel," completely separate from Agudat Yisrael. The move was prepared for about a year. It involved buying an existing inactive party (an electoral "shell") and renaming it.
Degel HaTorah was told about the plan in advance and helped keep it secret until it was announced, just hours before the deadline for submitting party lists. Agudat Yisrael opposed the move. Its dominant group is the Gur Hasidic movement (called the "central faction" in the press).
The reason given by the Shlomei Emunim (Porush) and Belz (Stark) groups is money: they say the Gur leadership has been delaying funds meant for them. A separate party would get direct access to monthly Knesset funding, reportedly several hundred thousand shekels.
This change is part of the same shake-up as the ouster of Moshe Gafni, first elected to the Knesset in 1988, which Rabbi Dov Lando announced on September 5, 2026. Both events reflect a wider reshaping of the balance of power inside UTJ ahead of the October 27, 2026 election.