Rabbi Eli Bazak Urges Voters to Follow Conscience, Not Election Math

Rabbi Eli Bazak, a senior rabbi at Har HaMor Yeshiva, has urged voters to cast their ballots based on their conscience rather than political calculations or concerns about the electoral threshold. He stated that the right to vote is granted to citizens to express their convictions, not to act as politicians.

Rabbi Bazak believes that focusing on the electoral threshold, which is currently 3.25% of the national vote, distorts the purpose of voting. He argued that if a voter chooses a party based on the fear of votes being wasted, their ballot does not reflect their true will and is therefore meaningless. "Your ballot is worthless. You have betrayed your civic duty," he asserted, emphasizing that citizens should vote according to their conscience, not political strategy.

He suggested that the media contributes to this misdirection by focusing on blocs and the electoral threshold, creating a "bluff" that overshadows other issues. Rabbi Bazak pointed to the success of the Pensioners Party, which he said won seven seats by appealing to voters' consciences, as an example of how focusing on core values can lead to electoral success, even if the party later faded.

Rabbi Bazak connected the potential success of the Noam party to a spiritual awakening he perceives in the public. He stated that Noam is the only party addressing what the "people of Israel need most today," which he identified as a return to religious observance. He believes that the public's awakening and return to repentance are the foundation for Noam's chances, asserting that "the chance of Noam is built on this."