Gur Rabbi Calls for Support of United Torah Judaism in Election

Following days of unprecedented tension and speculation within the Gur Hasidic community regarding potential non-participation in upcoming elections, an official directive has been issued. The morning edition of the newspaper 'HaModia' published a formal declaration from the Grand Rabbi of Gur, urging all his followers to vote for the 'United Torah Judaism' list.

The announcement, dated Saturday night, October 26th, 2024 (7 Cheshvan 5787), aims to end weeks of political anxiety within the Haredi political sphere. The directive, published in 'HaModia', explicitly requests members to vote for the 'Agudat Yisrael' faction, marked with the number 3, stating, "May God Almighty help that through this, the honor of Heaven will be increased."

In recent days, the election headquarters of United Torah Judaism experienced significant tension due to reports of frustration among Gur leadership and explicit threats from activists about non-mobilization for the campaign and even abstention from voting. Political circles feared that the absence of a clear directive from Gur could lead to the loss of thousands of critical votes for the unified list.

Previously, the Gur Hasidism had remained neutral, refraining from their traditional "to act and mobilize" activities. This was evident in their silence in the community's newspaper 'HaModia', the lack of official announcements after Sukkot or on recent Sabbaths, and the absence of election headquarters or campaign song production.

Sources within the Hasidism attribute this silence to several reasons, including internal tensions related to the Frosh-Shtark axis and deep frustration with the government's conduct over the past four years, particularly concerning the conscription of yeshiva students.