Agudat Yiśraʼel (Political party)

Agudat Yisrael (Hebrew: אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, romanized: Agudath Israel, lit. 'Union of Israel'; Ashkenazi Hebrew: Agudas Yisroel) is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party representing Haredi Jews in Poland, originating in the Agudath Israel movement in Upper Silesia. It later became the party of many Haredim in Israel. It was the umbrella party for many, though not all, Haredi Jews in Israel until the 1980s, as it had been during the British Mandate of Palestine. Since the 1980s it has become a predominantly Hasidic party, though it often combines with the Degel HaTorah non-Hasidic Ashkenazi Haredi party for elections and coalition-forming (although not with the Sephardi and Mizrahi Haredi party Shas). When so combined, they are known together as United Torah Judaism.