Agudath Israel Election Call Delayed Amid Drafting Dispute
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Agudath Israel's election "Kol Koreh" was delayed due to a dispute over wording that some Rebbes found too harsh towards Shas voters. The text stated that not voting for Yahadut HaTorah is a desecration of God's name. This issue is separate from a prior signature controversy involving the Rebbe of Gur, who initially refused to sign the document. The Kol Koreh will be published after revisions, with the Rebbe of Gur's community now publicly supporting Yahadut HaTorah.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Agudath Israel's election "Kol Koreh" delayed due to dispute over wording on desecration of God's name.
- Several Rebbes objected to the original text's harshness towards Shas voters.
- The delay is separate from a prior signature controversy involving the Rebbe of Gur.
- The Rebbe of Gur's community has now publicly urged a vote for Yahadut HaTorah.
- The Ziditchov Hasidim in Bnei Brak have not yet issued voting instructions.
The traditional "Kol Koreh" (call to read) from the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel, intended for the upcoming elections, has been postponed to Sunday. The delay stems from last-minute requests by several Rebbes to amend the text. Council Secretary Rabbi Yakov Weltzer 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 Yahadut HaTorah constitutes a desecration of God's name. Several Rebbes objected to this phrasing, deeming it too harsh towards Shas voters, arguing that Shas supporters vote according to their rabbis' instructions even if they do not support Yahadut HaTorah. Consequently, revisions to the text will be considered before its release.
This postponement is separate from a recent signature controversy that arose due to internal divisions within Agudath Israel. The Rebbe of Gur had refused to sign the traditional Kol Koreh, which bears the signatures of the Council of Torah Sages members. This refusal, according to sources in the Gur Hasidic community, was due to perceived moves to advance a conscription law contrary to the Council's decisions.
In response to the Rebbe of Gur's refusal, most Rebbes declared they would not permit their signatures to be used if the Rebbe of Gur did not also sign. The agreed-upon solution was to publish the Kol Koreh under the name of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel, without individual Rebbes' signatures, a format also used by Degel HaTorah's and Shas's respective councils.
The Kol Koreh is expected to be published after the revisions are finalized, amidst ongoing disagreements within Agudath Israel regarding the effort to establish a unified stance for the elections. Previously, a formal announcement from the Rebbe of Gur called on all Gur Hasidim to vote for the Yahadut HaTorah list. Meanwhile, the Ziditchov Hasidim in Bnei Brak have also remained silent, not yet instructing their followers on how to vote, reportedly due to the imprisonment of the Rebbe's grandson in military prison despite intercession efforts.
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