Former IDF Chief Rabbi Avichai Ronsky was certain he would be serving as a MK in the 20th Knesset, but the dismal outcome for the Bayit Leumi party, which only received 8 seats creates a different reality.
Rabbi Ronsky used his Facebook page to get his message out, calling the elections “Yom Kippur for the rabbonim of the dati leumi community”.
He points a finger of blame at rabbonim from his community who endorsed Eli Yishai and his Yachad party, which failed to meet the minimum threshold to enter Knesset. “We are going to be the surprise of the elections” he quotes Eli Yishai saying, adding “and the rabbonim ran after him and endorsed him”.
“What happened here” he continues, adding “They could not see what I saw? Can they be this disconnected from reality as is evident? Do they lack basic understanding that machlokes only leaders to negative results, compromising shalom bayis as when a man and women are divided in their opinions, as in yishuvim and among the entire tzibur. Why couldn’t we sit and meet to learn, probe and address the issues of the hour?”
“I served as a company commander during the Yom Kippur war. We saw the Egyptians preparing for war and nevertheless, we ignored it and continued with business as usual until the giant earthquake that almost led to the destruction of the state. I learned since then the saying what you see from there you do not see from here is incorrect. There is no advantage to those of there who are in the real vision of reality”.
Rabbi Ronsky calls for a cheshbon nefesh that includes sitting together and planning the future “towards discovering the real path of Torah according to our reality”.
(The number of seats may fluctuate. The Central Election Committee states the final numbers will be released Thursday morning, 28 Adar).
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Well Cheshbon Nefesh begins at home. Bayit Yehudi alienated much of it’s base by befriending Yesh Atid, and by doing many things against most Rabbonim of the Leumi camp. This alienation is what brought about the creation of Yachad as an alternative dati Leumi party.
if ronsky would have been up on the list & gotten his seat then it would be simchas tora.
#1. Nice assumption, but incorrect. Bayit Yehudi suffered the same as Yachad for the same reason.
Lots of their voters were so concerned that the Left would come out on top, that they switch their votes to make sure Likud got more seats than Labor.
BarryLS1 – You missed his point. They alienated the vote which created Yachad. The votes that Yachad did get came at the expense of Bayit Yehudi. That in itself was a great benefit to the Torah world.
Had Bayit Yhudi not aligned with Yesh Atid in the 1st place, we wouldn’t have had new election. The Chareidi parties would have been in the govt along with Bayit. The govt would have been more workable.
Rabbi Ronsky. Because Bayit Yehudi “leader”, Naftali Bennett NEVER represented the Frum eihrliche Yungerlite from the DL community! Bennett & his irreligious wife only represent the secular Mizrachi. Yachad, with Yeshai & Chetbon, was supposed to be that option. Unfortunately that didn’t work out and now that DL community that Ronsky claims to be so “concerned” about, has NO representation.
“Yom Kipurim”
Ki Purim: like Purim!
stam a deya: I don’t think so. I live here and heard from so many people I know why they changed their vote to Likud.
While it is true that Yachad got votes from Bayit Yehudi, but overall, it was the fear that the Labor would get more seats than Likud that drove the issue. Different news sources, including Arutz 7, are also saying the same thing after interviewing people.
When you live here and not just get your news from limited Chareidi newspapers, you get a whole lot more information.
On Yom Kippur one looks at ones OWN failings and tries to do teshuva. One doesn’t look at someone ELSE’S failings (real or imagined) and demand that they do teshuva.