First Deaf Candidate for Knesset Signs on to New Right

The first deaf candidate for the Knesset will be running on the slate of the New Right party, formed recently by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, The Times of Israel reported on Tuesday.

Shirley Pinto, 30, co-founder of the Israeli Center for Deaf Studies, was hailed by Bennett on Tuesday as “a true fighter for social issues,” promising that her candidacy “will make history and break through a glass ceiling for the deaf community in Israel.”

Deaf from birth, Pinto “decided to dedicate her life to changing reality for the deaf and hearing-impaired community,” the party said in a statement.

Pinto said that, if elected, “I will continue to work with all my might, as I have in the past, for people with disabilities in Israel and to be your force in the Knesset with the goal of making Israel an accessible, equal, and inclusive society.”

Shaked said that the decision to put Pinto on their electoral list is part of the New Right’s plan to “enact right-wing policies with social sensitivity.”