Agudath Israel: Vote And Be Heard

Tuesday, September 10, is Primary Day across New York City. Voters will be selecting the candidates who will become
the city’s new political leaders. Agudath Israel continued its Get-Out-The-Vote campaign — with newspaper ads, emails, and letters home to parents of yeshivah students — urging all of its constituents and friends to vote.

As an organizational spokesman explained, every vote counts in what many pundits are predicting will be extremely close primary races. And votes in the primaries will surely help the victors decide what to do after the elections.

The simple reality is that government officials look at which groups vote, and take their positions on the major issues of the day accordingly. Communities that vote are communities that are listened to and heard. Securing political support with regard to the issues that affect the Orthodox Jewish community deeply — protecting our most fundamental religious freedoms, maximizing government aid to our educational institutions, maintaining the moral climate of society, increasing the availability of affordable housing, improving the quality of government services — depends on each and every registered voter taking the time to go to the polls and vote.

Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel, encouraged each citizen to consider helping a frail neighbor or family member who otherwise might not make it to the polls. But most importantly, he exhorted, “Please, take the time to vote.  Do it for yourself … for your children … for your community … for Klal Yisrael.”

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the September 10th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.