Gedolei Torah Make Exceptional Request:
Maximize votes of those traveling abroad

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM — Due to the difficult situation in Eretz Yisrael for the Torah communities, Gedolei Yisrael have issued an unusual call: to maximize the votes among those who travel abroad to strengthen the United Torah Judaism list.

In light of this call, an office has been opened to coordinate between Agudath Israel activists and travelers with Israeli citizenship who are currently abroad or planning to travel abroad, in order to guarantee their votes on Election Day.

In light of this urgent call from the Gedolei Yisrael,  R’ Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of the board of Agudath Israel in America, strongly urges all who are eligible to do their utmost to arrange to vote and strengthen the list of UTJ.

As noted, the Gedolei Yisrael have called for those traveling abroad to return before Election Day, or to wait to travel until after Election Day.

On Motzoei Simchas Torah, in the presence of the Belzer Rebbe, shlita, the gabbai, Harav Shimon Wolf Klein, announced that “we are asking all those from abroad who have the right to vote, who are here in Eretz Yisrael during the election season, to bring their return forward or to push it off [as relevant] in order to be able to vote. And in this merit, may each one see yeshuos and all the brachos that the Rebbe, shlita, has given, with long lives, blessed children, and abundant parnassah, a gmar chasimah tovah and a good, blessed year, and kol tuv.”

During shalosh seudos this past Shabbos, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, shlita, spoke at length and said that “I think that those Israelis who are abroad and can return to Eretz Yisrael to vote, this is a good thing, that they should come and vote and increase kvod Shamayim.

“Indeed, not every person can do it, and it involves the costs of a trip, but there are matters where necessity obligates even to the point of spending money, and therefore, it is preferable that anyone who can come should come and will merit to increase kvod Shamayim.

“Anyone who cannot do this should still work to persuade his family and friends in Eretz Yisrael to go out to vote. Perhaps it is also in place to launch a fund that will help people who wish to come take loans for this purpose. Until now, we have not appealed to those abroad, but now, the situation is different, and it’s a matter of saving Yiddishkeit, and kvod Shamayim.”

The Bnei Chu”l office is asking voters throughout the chareidi communities to update the activists if they know of people planning to travel abroad for the week of elections, and to convey to these travelers the words of the Gedolim to strengthen the campaign.

The office has also stressed the importance of maximizing votes in this election, saying “sometimes, a single vote can decide an entire campaign.”

“After four election cycles in recent years, there isn’t a chareidi child who does not understand how important each vote is, how one mandate can be critical in the votes,” sources in the Bnei Chu”l office said. “That mandate can thwart painful antisocial legislation, it can prevent anti-religious legislation, while one single mandate can turn over the whole picture and help get socially friendly and religious legislation, as well as revolutionary reforms to benefit the weaker sectors, passed; it can also lead to a totally different composition of the coalition and the government.

“The responsibility that the voters bear this time is tremendous, and it is important that everyone — even those who are traveling abroad or who are abroad now — should understand this and should do everything they can to be in Eretz Yisrael on Election Day, so that they can vote to carry out their holy duty and actualize the right that was given to them to have influence.”