Ultra-Orthodox Election Call Delayed Amid Internal Disputes
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Agudath Yisrael's election call was delayed until Sunday after several Rebbes requested changes to its wording, which originally stated that not voting for United Torah Judaism is a desecration of God's name. The delay is unrelated to a prior dispute where the Rebbe of Gur refused to sign the call due to concerns over a conscription law. A compromise was reached to publish the call without individual signatures, but attempts to revert to the signed version failed.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Agudath Yisrael's election call delayed to Sunday due to Rebbes' requested wording changes.
- Original text stated not voting for United Torah Judaism is a desecration of God's name.
- Rebbe of Gur previously refused to sign call over conscription law concerns.
- Compromise reached to publish call without individual Rebbe signatures.
- Attempts to reinstate signed version of the call were unsuccessful.
The traditional election call from the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Yisrael has been postponed until Sunday due to last-minute requests for revisions from several Rebbes. Council Secretary Yaakov Velzer instructed the Hamevasser and Hamodia newspapers to hold off on publication. The core of the dispute lies in the original wording, which stated that not voting for United Torah Judaism constitutes a desecration of God's name. Several Rebbes objected to this phrasing, deeming it too harsh towards voters of the Shas party, who also follow their rabbis' directives but do not support United Torah Judaism. Consequently, the text will be reviewed for amendments before its release.
This delay is separate from an earlier controversy regarding signatures. The Rebbe of Gur had refused to sign the traditional call, which usually bears the names of the Council members. This refusal stemmed from alleged moves to advance a conscription law contrary to the Council's decisions. In response to Gur's refusal, most other Rebbes declared they would not permit their signatures to be used if the Rebbe of Gur did not also sign.
A compromise reached two days prior involved publishing the call in the name of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Yisrael, without individual Rebbe signatures, a format also used by Degel HaTorah's council and Shas's Council of Torah Sages. An Agudath Yisrael source indicated that recent attempts to reinstate the signed version were unsuccessful. The agreed-upon text from two days ago is expected to be published in Hamodia. The call is anticipated to be released after revisions are finalized, amidst ongoing disagreements within Agudath Yisrael concerning the formulation of a unified message for the upcoming elections.
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