Ya'akov Tessler
United Torah Judaism · ג

Ya'akov Tessler

יעקב טסלר

MK (Agudat Yisrael, Vizhnitz)

#8 of 8 projected seats
Narrow margin
years in public service
7
issues off the party line
0 of 8

Left the Knesset in June 2025, resigning under the Norwegian Law to seat a Degel HaTorah colleague. His place on the next list depends on the Vizhnitz-Belz rotation, whose current terms have not been reported.

Who they are

Born in Jerusalem in 1973 and raised in the Sanhedria neighbourhood, he was educated in Vizhnitz institutions and moved to Ashdod after marrying. He managed projects for the newspaper HaModia, sat on Ashdod city council from 2008 to 2019, and was an aide to deputy health minister Yaakov Litzman from 2015. He entered the Knesset in 2019 as the Vizhnitz representative and was deputy culture minister until 2025.

Positions and record

Draft: Full exemption for Torah students.

Education: Budgets for Hasidic school systems.

Status quo: Shabbat and kashrut arrangements untouched.

Investigation: A 2023 Haaretz report alleged he handed hush money to a victim of his father, then head of a Vizhnitz yeshiva. Tessler said the claims were baseless. The State Prosecutor reopened the inquiry in August 2024 and no charge has been filed.

Where they stand

Holds the party line on every issue.

Judea & Samariaparty lineFollows rabbinic guidance, dovish history
Two states / withdrawalSovereignty / annexation
Gaza & Securityparty lineGoldknopf backs Gaza settlement; Gafni wanted a deal
Deal & disengagementFull military control
Haredi Enlistmentparty lineExemption is existential
Universal draftPreserve exemptions
Judiciaryparty lineBack the overhaul in exchange for a draft law
Court can strike lawsKnesset can override
Economyparty lineSectoral allocations
Social spendingFree market
Educationparty lineWants full funding without state control over the curriculum
State runs the schoolsParents and communities
Religion & Stateparty lineMaximal religious status quo
Civil / pluralistReligious authority
Nation & Citizenshipparty lineJewish primacy on religious grounds, not national ones
Equal citizenshipJewish national state