Yahadut Hatorah is still hoping to get the Chabad tzibur’s vote in the upcoming elections for 21st Knesset, scheduled for April 9, 2019. The Rebbe ZT”L instructed his chassidim to vote for the most chareidi party, but for most Chabadnikim, the matter of Eretz Yisrael HaSheleima remains paramount, as it did for the rebbe, and many will opt for the most right-wing party and not necessarily the most chareidi party.
In an interesting development, Kikar Shabbos News interviewed HaGaon Rav Amram Blau Shlita, one of the leading Chabad rabbonim in Eretz Yisrael. A Kikar correspondent actually ran into the rav at the Likud election headquarters as the primaries were taking place on Tuesday evening.
Some chassidim will vote for Yahadut Hatorah and Shas, while many others will vote for Yachad, Ichud Leumi, and Otzma Yisrael, with the latter being affiliated with Baruch Marzel. Some however will vote for Likud, including Rav Blau.
Blau was asked who his favorite was in the primaries, responding “Gideon Saar”, who is making his comeback after years out of the political arena. He explained he voted for him this time only, “because Netanyahu is against him. Previous times I voted for a chareidi party. from today on, I am voting Likud,” Rav Blau concluded.
On the other hand, his brother, HaGaon Rav Tuvia Blau Shlita, a most prominent and influential figure in Chabad, told Kikar Shabbos “the most chareidi party is the most chareidi party, without interpretations”.
Rav Tuvia Blau added, “There is a religious war taking place here in the state, and therefore we must strengthen the party that will fight firmly for the Jewish side and the Jewish tradition, and in the past, it was a national service for girls and today the issue of recruiting yeshiva students is on the agenda.”
The fact that chareidi public figures, especially those affiliated with Degel Hatorah, refuse to explicitly declare future support for a right-wing government that will not return territories, is likely to lead to many Chabad Chassidim voting for non-chareidi parties.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
The Rebbie said to vote for the party that was the most religious, but today, most of Chabadniks are split between those who are very right wing and those that are religious. There is NOT one party that gets all of the Chabad votes, but their are various Chabad rabbis who give their names in hopes of giving more votes to various parties.