There are very few Shas voters who do not understand that when they vote Shas, decisions will be made by halachic arbiters rather than the names on the party list.
By ASHLEY PERRY (PEREZ)Sephardi Blog(photo credit: Courtesy)In defense of Shas
Recently, the coalition negotiations with Kadima have brought up some very ugly epithets about Shas and its leadership. The political discourse has become rather unsightly.
Regular readers of this column are aware that I am no great fan of Shas. Although some years ago I toyed with the idea of voting for the party, I feel that most Sephardim are not duly represented by Shas. In the two decades since its founding, little has been done to improve the lives of those impoverished Sephardim that are supposedly its constituency.
Those who wish to defame Shas have pointed to the fact that many of their important decisions are made, not by their elected members of Knesset, but by a Council of sages, headed by Rav Ovadia Yosef.
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