Dov Lipman announced on Saturday night that he would be in the top 20 of Yesh
Atid’s list for the Knesset.
Lipman had been rumored for months to fill
the party’s “haredi” seat, as well as being a connection to the English-speaking
community in Israel.
Lipman is already known as an activist in Beit
Shemesh, being one of the leaders in a recent battle which drew national
attention with the city’s ultra-Orthodox over the location of a
religious-zionist girls’ school.
At an earlier point, Lipman had been
associated with Rabbi Chaim Amsellem’s Am Shalem party, but he switched to Yesh
Atid some time ago and has been deeply involved with the party’s campaign ever
since.
Party leader Yair Lapid has actively tried to distinguish his
party from his father, Tommy Lapid’s now defunct Shinui party, which had been
considered anti-religious.
Lipman immigrated to Israel from the US around
eight years ago.
Anglo candidates are making their mark in several
parties, with several Englishspeaking candidates running in the Likud and Labor
primaries this week, and TheLandOfIsrael.com founder Jeremy Gimpel reaching
ninth place in the Habayit Hayehudi list.
The party list already boasts religious-Zionist educational leader and Yeshivat Petah Tikva head Rabbi Shai
Piron, who is in the number two spot. Lipman will be the second religious
candidate relatively high up on the party’s list.
Lipman said, “The past
few years have exposed me to issues within Israeli society which I have
dedicated myself to trying to improve – polarization, extremism, inequality and
unfairness.”
He added, “As an educator I have been troubled by the
direction in which we have been heading in our education system. I am proud to
be part of a party which has raised these issues as its flags.”
The new
Yesh Atid Knesset candidate also said, “I have had the honor of spending
significant time with members of the Yesh Atid list in recent weeks. It is a
remarkable group of men and women – some who have dedicated their lives to
Israel’s security, some to education, some to discrimination and human rights.”