This poster was created by the United Torah Judaism party, which appear on the poster as the Judaism of the Torah and the Shabbat, Agudat Israel-Degel HaTorah. This poster was released prior to the elections for the 16th Knesset in 2003 and attacks both Meretz and Shnui, the two parties standing in the election that were attempting to promote a more secular agenda within Israeli society. The emotive language employed in the poster states that the policies of these parties would result in people being unable to live as Jews within the State of Israel. The poster urges everyone to vote for United Torah, since only a strong party can defeat the plans of these parties. The posters displays a clever use of language as it plays with the names of the parties Meretz and Shinui as part of the text. In the case of Meretz, מרצ, the literal meaning of the word, strenuous, is used; likewise for Shinui, שינוי, the name of the party is also used with its literal meaning of change.
Unlike many of the election posters issued by religious parties this poster uses modern design with dark blue, white, and yellow elements. The font used for the words “We Must Block Them” reflects power and protest. It seems as if the message is being directed at a different audience, maybe less to the party’s usual hard-core, conservative Haredi voters and more to modern Haredim or even a religious but non-Haredi audience.
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United Torah Judaism – United Torah Judaism is a joint list of the two Ashkenazi Ultra-Orthodox parties: the Hasidic Agudat Israel and the Haredi (Lithuanian) Degel HaTorah. Despite fundamental differences between the two parties, the decision to unite towards the elections for the 13th Knesset was a result of the law requiring a higher election threshold. According to this law, parties that do not obtain 3.2% of the votes are not entitled to representation in the Knesset. The two parties therefore united, understanding that by standing alone they might not be represented in the parliament. They operate in the Knesset as a joint faction but as independent parties.
Shinui – Shinui was officially established in 1974 as a liberal, secular party. It was a relatively small party in a number of different forms until Tommy Lapid became leader in 1999, following which it won six seats and then fifteen seats in the 2003 elections. Ahead of the 2006 elections, many of its major figures, including Lapid, resigned, and the party failed to win any seats. One of the main elements in Shinui’s platform was its call for separation between religion and state, for example a demand for civil marriage and the operation of public transport on Shabbat. The party was also known for its anti-hareidi opinions and for its stance in favour of the military draft of Haredi men and against the payment of public funds to yeshiva students.
Meretz – Meretz is a left-wing, social democratic political party that was formed in 1992 as a union between three left-wing parties: Ratz, Mapam, and Shinui. Meretz emphasises the need for social justice, human rights for all ethnic and sexual minorities, religious freedom, and environmentalism. The party is also known for its belief in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the 2015 elections, the party won five seats in the Knesset.
2003 Israeli Elections – The elections for the 16th Knesset were held on January 28, 2003. These elections were only for the parliament, since according to the law at that time, Ariel Sharon would remain prime minister. The elections were held in the shadow of a deteriorating security situation with the Second Intifada and Operation Defensive Shield. Many also believe that Sharon decided to hold the elections in order to strengthen his political power that had diminished due to investigations of corruption against him. One of the main issues of the election campaign was the protest against the exemption of Haredi men from compulsory military service. The result of the elections gave the Likud a large increase of votes, less seats for the Labour Party, and an increase of nine seats to Shinui, which became the third largest party in the Knesset.
