Shas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shas ש״ס‎
Leader	Aryeh Deri
Spiritual Leader	Vacant
Founders	Elazar Shach Ovadia Yosef
Founded	1984; 41 years ago (1984)
Split from	Agudat Yisrael
Headquarters	Jerusalem
Ideology	Populism Religious Zionism Social conservatism Religious conservatism Social democracy Sephardic and Mizrahi interests Haredi interests Until 2010: Haredi non-Zionism
Political position	Fiscal: Centre-left Social: Right-wing
Religion	Haredi Judaism (Sephardic)
International affiliation	World Zionist Organization
Colours	Black, Gold      Azure (past)
Ballot letters	Hebrew: שס‎ Arabic: ش‌س‎
Knesset	11 / 120
Most MKs	17 (1999)

Shas (Hebrew: ש״ס) is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. It was started in 1984 by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who was a former Sephardi chief rabbi in Israel. The party mainly works to support the interests of Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Jews.

Shas began as a small group. Today, it is the fourth-largest party in the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament. Since 1984, Shas has often been part of the government. It has worked with major parties like Labor, Kadima, and Likud.

Understanding the Name Shas

The party's first name was Shom'rei Torah. This means "Guardians of the Torah". Its short form was ש״ת, pronounced "Shat" or "Shas".

However, Israeli election rules say a new party needs permission to use letters already used by another party. The Israeli Labor Party did not allow Shas to use the letter ת. So, the party chose the name ש״ס, or Shas. This stands for Shomrei S'farad, meaning "Sephardic Guardians".

The name "Shas" also refers to the six orders of the Mishnah and the Talmud. These are important Jewish religious texts. The party's full legal name is "International Union of the Sepharadim, Guardians of the Torah".

How Shas Started and Grew

Aryeh Deri, a leader of Shas

Eli Yishai, a former leader

Shas was founded in 1984. This happened before the elections for the eleventh Knesset. The party was formed because Sephardic Jews felt they were not well-represented in other parties, like Agudat Yisrael. That party was mostly made up of Ashkenazi Jews.

The party was started under the guidance of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. He created a group of four wise rabbis, called the Council of Torah Sages. Rabbi Yosef was the party's spiritual leader until he passed away. Rabbi Elazar Shach also helped Rabbi Yosef in setting up the party. Shas was formed to help Sephardic Jews return to their religious roots and to fight against unfair treatment.

Not all people who vote for Shas are ultra-Orthodox Jews. Many are Modern Orthodox or traditional Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews. They support Shas because it promotes an "authentic Middle Eastern" Israeli culture. This fits with traditional Zionist ideas of bringing back Jewish culture that is not European.

Shas has sometimes had a lot of power in the Knesset. This is because the difference between the main parties is often very small. Shas gets votes from moshavim, which are communities where many Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews live. It also gets support from Orthodox settlers in the West Bank since joining the World Zionist Organization.

In the 1984 elections, Shas won four seats in the Knesset. In the 1999 elections, Shas won 17 seats. This was their best result ever. In the 2003 election, Shas won 11 seats.

In the 2006 elections, Shas won 12 seats. They joined the government led by Ehud Olmert. The party leader, Eli Yishai, became Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor and Deputy Prime Minister.

After the 2009 elections, Shas won 11 seats. They joined Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Eli Yishai was one of four Deputy Prime Ministers and the Minister of Internal Affairs.

In the 2013 elections, Shas won 11 seats again. They chose to be part of the opposition. This was because other parties wanted to change rules about Haredi men joining national service and reduce financial support for Haredi families. Shas did not agree with these changes.

In December 2014, Eli Yishai left Shas. He started a new religious party called Yachad. However, his new party did not win enough votes to enter the Knesset. In the 2015 elections, Shas won 7 seats.

In 2017, some polls showed Shas might not get enough votes to enter the Knesset. In 2020, it was reported that Aryeh Deri was helping to arrange talks between major political leaders.

What Shas Believes In

Shas says its goal is to "return the crown to the former glory." This means protecting the religious and cultural traditions of Sephardic Jews. It also aims to fix what it sees as ongoing unfair treatment against Sephardic people in Israel.

Shas created its own religious education system. It is called MaAyan HaHinuch HaTorani. This system became popular in poorer Sephardic towns. This helped the party gain more support.

Shas wants to increase the influence of Halakha, which is Jewish religious law, in Israeli society. It also encourages non-Orthodox Israelis of Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage to live an Orthodox Jewish life. Shas is a Haredi religious party. However, it has worked with different types of governments and is often willing to find common ground on religious and economic issues.

At first, Shas had a moderate view on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Rabbi Yosef said that human lives were more important than land. But over time, the party has moved to a more right-wing view. It now opposes stopping Israeli settlement building in the West Bank. Shas also supports a "United Jerusalem" and the idea of a Greater Jerusalem. In 2010, Shas joined the World Zionist Organization.

Shas also wants to get money for Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews. These people were forced to leave their home countries and their property behind.

Women in Shas

Some women activists have protested the lack of female representation in Shas. They started a campaign called "No Female Candidate, No Female Vote." These women said they would not vote for parties that do not have women candidates.

A senior party member, Rabbi Mordechai Blau, warned that women who joined this movement might face problems. He said their children could be "banned from Haredi schools." He also said their employers might be "boycotted by the community."

Shas later announced that it would create a women's council within the party. The campaigners welcomed this step. However, they also said they would continue to ask Haredi parties to allow women to serve in the Knesset. Eli Yishai said that Jewish law does not forbid women from being Knesset members. But he added that the rabbis make the final decisions.

When a group of ultra-Orthodox women formed their own party, U'Bizchutan, a Shas spokesperson said that the Haredi public was "not yet open to women serving in the Knesset."

Knesset Members of Shas

Shas party ballot from 2009

Eleven men are members of the Knesset for Shas in the twenty-fifth Knesset:

• Aryeh Deri
• Ya'akov Margi
• Yoav Ben-Tzur
• Michael Malchieli
• Haim Biton
• Moshe Arbel
• Yinon Azulai
• Moshe Abutbul
• Uriel Buso
• Yosef Taieb
• Avraham Betzalel

Shas Party Leaders

Leader			Took office	Left office	Spiritual Leader		Took office	Left office
1		Nissim Ze'ev	1982	1984		Ovadia Yosef	1982	2013
2		Yitzhak Peretz	1984	1990
3		Aryeh Deri	1990	1999
4		Eli Yishai	1999	2012
5		Triumvirate	2012	2013
(3)		Aryeh Deri	2013	Incumbent		Shalom Cohen	2013	2022

Shas Election Results

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Status
1984	Yitzhak Haim Peretz	63,605	3.07	4 / 120		Coalition
1988		107,709	4.72	6 / 120	2	Coalition
1992	Aryeh Deri	129,347	4.94	6 / 120		Coalition (1992–1993)
						Opposition (1993–1996)
1996		259,796	8.51	10 / 120	4	Coalition
1999		430,676	13.01	17 / 120	7	Coalition
2003	Eli Yishai	258,879	8.22	11 / 120	6	Opposition
2006		299,054	9.53	12 / 120	1	Coalition
2009		286,300	8.49	11 / 120	1	Coalition
2013		331,868	8.75	11 / 120		Opposition
2015	Aryeh Deri	241,613	5.73	7 / 120	4	Coalition
Apr 2019		258,275	5.99	8 / 120	1	Caretaker
Sep 2019		329,834	7.44	9 / 120	1	Caretaker
2020		352,842	7.69	9 / 120		Coalition
2021		316,008	7.17	9 / 120		Opposition
2022		392,644	8.24	11 / 120	2	Coalition

See also

In Spanish: Shas para niños