Netanyahu and Smotrich Enlist Rabbis to Boost Right-Wing Voter Turnout
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich held a meeting with senior rabbis and leaders from the Religious Zionist community to mobilize right-wing voters for upcoming elections. The "Saving the Right" initiative aims to increase turnout by an estimated 200,000 potential voters through door-to-door campaigns, community outreach, and phone banking. The effort is a joint project between the Likud and Religious Zionism parties, led by campaign managers Tzvi Broot and Omer Rachamim. Itamar Ben-Gvir was not invited to the meeting, with organizers stating the event was focused on a specific segment of the Religious Zionist base.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Smotrich met with rabbis to boost right-wing voter turnout.
- The "Saving the Right" initiative aims to mobilize 200,000 potential right-wing voters.
- The plan involves door-to-door canvassing, community outreach, and phone banking.
- The effort is a joint campaign between the Likud and Religious Zionism parties.
- Itamar Ben-Gvir was not invited to the meeting.
- Organizers stated the event targeted a specific segment of the Religious Zionist base.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Religious Zionism party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich convened a closed meeting with dozens of senior rabbis and institutional leaders from the Religious Zionist community. The gathering, titled "Saving the Right," aimed to establish a broad field operation involving thousands of activists to increase voter turnout among right-wing supporters in the upcoming elections.
The initiative is a joint effort between the Likud and Religious Zionism parties, featuring a unified campaign headquarters and full coordination between their campaign managers. The plan seeks to mobilize approximately 200,000 potential right-wing voters who, according to party estimates, are not currently planning to vote, a number equivalent to about five parliamentary seats.
The strategy includes four main components: door-to-door canvassing in strategic areas, providing assistance to thousands of voters unable to reach polling stations, deploying key figures within communities to encourage voting on election day, and conducting phone banking for audiences not reached by field operations.
The effort is spearheaded by campaign managers Tzvi Broot and Omer Rachamim, with Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, coordinating the joint headquarters. The parties also aim to involve communities, Religious Zionist institutions, and yeshiva students in the drive to raise voter participation.
Among the rabbis attending were Rabbi Eliakim Levanon, Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, Rabbi Chaim Gantz, Rabbi Baruch Vider, Rabbi Yehuda Sedan, Rabbi Chaim Baruch, Colonel (res.) Rabbi Eliezer Shmuel, and Rabbi Eliyahu Mali.
During the event, Smotrich stated, "We are taking the energy of the communities and institutions, and with them, we will storm the elections. They will explain, persuade, enlist, energize, and bring people out. With God's help, we can bring victory to the national camp and continue all the wonderful processes in settlement, security, Torah, education, Jewish identity, and extensive social action."
Yisrael Gantz remarked, "In recent weeks, we have worked hard for unity ahead of the great mission before us. While some are busy fighting, we are busy uniting. We must stand united behind the leadership of this camp; we must not fight each other, but fight alongside each other."
Notably, Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of the Otzma Yehudit party, was not invited. Sources involved in the initiative clarified that this exclusion was not related to any alleged boycott but because the event was specifically focused on a particular segment of the Religious Zionist base: rabbis, institutional leaders, and yeshiva students identified with these communities. Sources within Religious Zionism also rejected claims of a boycott, explaining the effort is concentrated on Smotrich's base and a specific style of field operation.
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