MK Attorney Shabtai Katash, a Chabad follower from Lod, officially entered office as a Likud Knesset member this morning (Thursday).
He will be the first Haredi Knesset member from the Likud party - for two and a half months.
He is a lawyer and real estate developer. He is currently running in the Likud primaries in the Shefelah district, Jerusalem and Yesha.
Katash previously served as secretary of the Neriah settlement and as a member of the Lod City Council, where he held the tenders portfolio. He was also a member of the Central Elections Committee and chairman of local election committees.
In the Likud, Katash serves as a member of the central committee and a member of the branch council, as well as a member of the secretariat of the Georgian Forum in the Likud. He holds a bachelor's degree in law, is a lawyer by profession, and is ordained as a rabbi by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
Moti Castel, Channel 14's political correspondent: "Katesh was elected last time in the ultra-Orthodox representative slot in Likud, which was in 45th place! This shows more than anything why it pays to fight even for 'distant' places - which can ultimately be realistic.".
