Ya'akov Asher

יעקב אשר

MK (United Torah Judaism / Degel HaTorah); Deputy Speaker of the Knesset; former Chair of Knesset Interior and Environment Committee (resigned July 2025)

Distinguished Lithuanian-Haredi rabbi and longtime communal leader; served as the thirteenth mayor of Bnei Brak (2008-2013) before entering the Knesset for Degel HaTorah in 2013; previously Secretary General of Degel HaTorah and chair of the UTJ faction; appointed Deputy Speaker in February 2022.

Positions and record

Resigned Interior Committee chair in July 2025 when UTJ left the coalition over the Haredi conscription bill dispute
Champions Haredi-majority municipalities' funding, services, and communal autonomy
Advocates for yeshiva students and the protection of full-time Torah study as a foundational Jewish value
Supports preserving Israel's traditional religious status quo on Shabbat and in public space

Cite this page

Ya'akov Asher, The State of Israel. https://thestateofisrael.com/mk/yaakov-asher