Ultra-Orthodox Parties May Mobilize Seminary Students for Election Day Push

Ultra-Orthodox political parties are considering a plan to mobilize seminary students to encourage voter turnout on election day. This initiative mirrors a recent successful fundraising effort where tens of thousands of students were enlisted to raise tens of millions of shekels. The proposal was discussed at a recent meeting of the Degel HaTorah party, where the possibility of replicating the fundraising success for political campaigning, including making phone calls to urge people to vote, was explicitly mentioned.

The students would reportedly volunteer for the activity, coordinated through the principals of the seminaries. These are educational institutions for students in grades 9 through 14, overseen and funded by the Ministry of Education. This potential move comes just two weeks after reports revealed that over 20,000 seminary students were mobilized for a fundraising day for a foundation that supports draft dodgers.

Such mobilization for partisan political purposes is said to contravene Ministry of Education guidelines and the Compulsory Education Law. The 'Israel Hofshit' (Free Israel) organization intends to pursue legal action to prevent this plan. "Using students as props for partisan promotion is a disgrace," the organization stated, with CEO Uri Keidar adding that the parties demonstrate that the first task of any future government should be to dismantle the partisan education system funded by public money. Keidar urged the Ministry of Education to act before the courts compel it to uphold the law.

The Ministry of Education responded by stating, "As always, should the Ministry of Education become aware of a case where an institution acted contrary to the Ministry's directives and procedures, the matter will be investigated and the Ministry will act accordingly."