Aharon Yosef "Yossi" Daitsh (also spelled Deutch or Deitch (; born 1968) is an Israeli politician who served as deputy mayor of Jerusalem, as a member of the Shlomei Emunim faction of the Agudat Yisrael party. Before the Jerusalem municipal election in October 2018, he held the Haredi housing portfolio, and served as deputy to the regional building and development portfolio holder.
Biography
Daitsh was born in Jerusalem, the third of his parents' seven children; he is named after his grandfather. Growing up, his family (which has lived in the city up to seven generations) lived in the Givat Shaul neighborhood, and belonged to the Zvhil Chassidus. As a child, he learned successively in the "Etz Chaim" and Ger Talmud Torahs. After graduating from Talmud Torah (the Haredi equivalent of primary school), he studied in the Slonim Yeshivah in Mea Shearim, "Bet Avraham". Here, he became an adherent of Rabbi Shalom Brazovski, the Rosh Yeshivah and Rabbi of the Slonim Chassidus, and later served as his personal attendant for five years, living in Kiryat Ye'arim. Daitsh has remained a Hasid of Slonim ever since. At the age of 24, Daitsh married Shoshana Erblich, daughter of Shimon Erblich, an Israeli-Belgian businessman. Daitsh and his wife live in the Geulah neighborhood in Jerusalem. He is the father of six children, and has three grandchildren.
Professional career and public service
After his marriage, Daitsh learnt half-time in Kollel, while in the other half, he served as secretary in the Slonim Yeshivah. Later, he worked as a real estate agent in the Haredi city Beitar Ilit. Daitsh was drafted into the Israeli army, and served at the Tze'elim army Base. Later, during 14 years, he served in the reserves – partly in the army rabbinate, and partly as a civic representative of the army in Jerusalem. He also served in the intelligence department. In early 1996, the municipal administration of the newly-founded city Beitar Ilit was first organized. In the city's first municipal election, Daitsh was campaign manager for Yehuda Gerlitz, the Agudas Yisrael candidate for the mayoralty; Gerlitz won. Later in that year, Daitsh became a secretary to Knesset member and Deputy minister for housing and development Meir Porush. As part of his activities in the housing ministry, Daitsh was involved in the marketing of thousands of housing units over the green line, in Beitar Ilit, Modiin Ilit, and Tel Tzion, and all throughout Gush Etzion and the West Bank. After the 1999 Knesset Election, Daitsh was parliamentary adviser to Meir Porush, who was again elected to the Knesset. In 2001, Porush was re-appointed to the housing ministry, and Daitsh accompanied him as before. When United Torah Judaism went to the opposition after the 2003 Knesset Election, Daitsh again served as parliamentary adviser to Porush in the Knesset. Aside from this, Daitsh served as a political activist for his Agudas Yisrael party, organizing fund-raising and campaign events. He also oversaw several municipal election campaigns, including the stormy 2007 municipal election in Beitar Ilit, where Meir Rubinstein, the Agudas Yisrael candidate, won the mayoral race against Degel HaTorah's Yitzchak Pindrus.