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Yitzhak Pindrus

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Yitzhak Pindrus
Pindrus in 2019
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019United Torah Judaism
2020–2022United Torah Judaism
2023–United Torah Judaism
Personal details
Born (1971-07-20) 20 July 1971 (age 53)
Jerusalem, Israel

Yitzhak Ze'ev Pindrus (Hebrew: יִצְחָק זְאֵב פִּינְדְרוֹס, born 20 July 1971) is an Israeli politician serving as a member of the Knesset for United Torah Judaism.[1]

Biography

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Pindrus is the eldest son of American immigrants Moshe and Zelda, who moved to Israel and settled in Jerusalem. He attended Yeshivat Aderet Eliyahu, before marrying at the age of 19 and moving to the Beitar Illit settlement. Between 1991 and 1996, he worked as an advisor to Moshe Leibovitz, the head of Beitar Illit local council, before being elected deputy leader of the council in 1996 on behalf of Degel HaTorah.

In 2001, Pindrus ran for mayor of Beitar Illit, unseating the incumbent mayor Yehuda Gerlitz. Pindrus won by just 162 votes, after he received 2,688 votes to Gerlitz's 2,526.[2] In 2007, Pindrus lost the mayoral election to Meir Rubinstein.[3] After his election defeat as mayor of Beitar Illit, Pindrus moved back to the Old City of Jerusalem, where he lives with his wife and six children. He is fluent in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish.[1] He subsequently became a member of Jerusalem City Council in 2008, becoming deputy mayor and portfolio holder for sanitation and city improvements. He was eighteenth on the United Torah Judaism list (an alliance of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael) for the 2013 elections,[4] but the alliance won only seven seats. He was twenty-second on the list for the 2015 Knesset elections,[5] in which UTJ won six seats. In 2016, he became acting mayor of Jerusalem.

Prior to the 2018 local elections, Pindrus resigned from Jerusalem City Council and as deputy mayor, in order to contest the mayoral election in El'ad. However, he was subsequently barred from contesting the elections, as he was not a permanent resident of the city.[6] In the build-up to the April 2019 Knesset elections, he was placed eighth on the UTJ list.[7] He was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the faction won eight seats.[8] However, he lost his seat in the September 2019 elections, when UTJ was reduced to seven seats.[9] He re-entered the Knesset in June 2020 as a replacement for Meir Porush, who had resigned under the Norwegian Law after being appointed to the cabinet.

Views and opinions

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Conversion to Judaism through the IDF

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Pindrus has publicly opposed the validity of conversion to Judaism conducted through an Israeli military program. In a panel on religion and state held by ITIM: Resources and Advocacy for Jewish Life and the "Kippah" website held prior to the 2021 Israeli Knesset elections, Pindrus said that he did not recognize the Judaism of IDF Nativ graduates, despite their approval by the Chief Rabbinate.[10][11] Pindrus later apologized on Israel's Channel 12 for his use of the term "shiksa" when referring to women who converted to Judaism through the IDF. Pindrus said the use of the term was not appropriate, although he continued to insist that these women were not Jewish according to halakha. Pidrus was reportedly criticized by MK Yair Lapid, who responded that Pindrus' view was reflective of his ignorance of the commitment of these women to preserving Jewish life in Israel.[12][13]

Women's prayer at the Western Wall

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Pindrus reportedly helped organize a Haredi opposition campaign against Women of the Wall, a pluralistic Jewish prayer group at the Western Wall.[14]

Supporting the death penalty for rapists

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Pindrus has publicly expressed support for rapists to be "shot at point blank range".[15]

LGBTQ rights

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Pindrus is opposed to pride parades, saying he wanted to stop them from happening. Pindrus cited the Torah as the reason why he opposes homosexuality, claiming that the "decadence of forbidden relationships" is a bigger threat to Israel than the Islamic State, Hamas, and Hezbollah. Pindrus walked out of a speech given by newly elected Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana in protest of Ohana mentioning his same-sex partner.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Yitzhak Pindrus". Knesset. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  2. ^ Yinon, Yadin (2020). The Only Democracy in the Middle East. Bear Mountain Press. Page 165.
  3. ^ How The Israeli Secular Media Sees The Beitar Election The Yeshiva World, 1 November 2007
  4. ^ 2013 United Torah Judaism list Israel Democracy Institute
  5. ^ 2015 United Torah Judaism list Central Elections Committee
  6. ^ IT’S FINAL: Pindrus is Disqualified from Running for Mayor in Elad The Yeshiva World, 22 October 2018
  7. ^ 2019 United Torah Judaism list Central Elections Committee
  8. ^ תוצאות האמת של הבחירות לכנסת ה-21 Archived 2019-04-11 at the Wayback Machine Central Elections Committee, 9 April 2019
  9. ^ Likud wins additional Knesset seat Arutz Sheva, 24 September 2019
  10. ^ ח"כ פינדרוס: "חיילת שהתגיירה בצבא - שיקסע. לשבת שבעה על מי שמתחתן איתה" Yedioth Ahronoth, 2 March 2021
  11. ^ פינדרוס מתנצל: "לא זלזלתי בתרומתן למדינה, אבל החיילות האלו לא יהודיות" Yedioth Ahronoth, 2 March 2021
  12. ^ "Ultra-Orthodox MK: Women who convert to Judaism through IDF are "shiksas"". The Times of Israel. 2 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Conversion controversy: Haredi MK labels female IDF converts "shiksas"". The Jerusalem Post. 2 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Haredi demonstrators harass Women of Wall worshipers, tear their prayer books". The Times of Israel. 11 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Haredi Lawmaker: All rapists deserve to be shot". Israel National News. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  16. ^ Bachner, Michael (June 21, 2023). "Coalition MK: LGBTQ community poses greater threat to Israel than Hezbollah or Hamas". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  17. ^ "Israeli ultra-Orthodox lawmaker says LGBT more dangerous than Islamic terrorists". i24 News. June 21, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
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