Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has announced a new election pledge to provide every Jewish boy in Israel with free tefillin and a tallit upon reaching the age of 13, presenting the initiative as a way to strengthen Jewish identity and religious observance. Under the proposed “Tefillin for Every Child” program, the Bar Mitzvah kit would be provided through Israel’s Ministry of Education, according to Deri’s announcement on October 22. He also pledged that Shas would seek legislation requiring schools to designate spaces where boys who wish to put on tefillin and pray could do so during the school day. Deri framed the plan as a response to what he described as efforts to push religion out of public life, specifically criticizing statements attributed to Democratic Party chairman Yair Golan. The announcement places religious identity and the role of Judaism in state institutions at the center of Shas’s campaign messaging just days before Israel’s October 27 election.

Deri’s proposal has also intensified the political debate over how religion should be accommodated in Israel’s public education system. Golan responded with a contrasting election pledge, saying the state should issue military draft notices to all 18-year-olds and declaring that “tefillin” should be a matter of choice while military service should be obligatory. The exchange reflects wider disagreements over religious tradition, individual freedom and the principle of equal national service, all of which have become prominent campaign issues. If implemented, Shas’s proposal would require decisions about funding, distribution and how designated prayer spaces would operate across different types of schools. Deri has not publicly provided a detailed budget or implementation timetable in the announcement, leaving questions about the program’s cost and practical administration unresolved. As the election approaches, the competing proposals illustrate how the relationship between religion, education and military service is shaping the political debate.