Lelov Rebbe Breaks Tradition, Urges Followers to Vote for Agudat Yisrael
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
The Lelov Rebbe has broken with tradition by instructing his followers to vote for the Agudat Yisrael party in the upcoming elections. This is the first time the Rebbe has publicly endorsed a specific party. The decision was made due to concerns about the current political climate and the potential impact on the Haredi vote.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The Lelov Rebbe instructed followers to vote for Agudat Yisrael, a historic first for the dynasty.
- The directive was announced by Nach Goldberg on Shabbat evening in the synagogue.
- This breaks with the Rebbe's long-standing tradition of neutrality in national elections.
- The decision stems from concerns about the political climate and the Haredi vote.
- The Rebbe himself only votes in municipal, not national, elections.
In a historic move for the Lelov Hasidic dynasty, the Rebbe has for the first time instructed his followers to vote in the upcoming elections, breaking with years of tradition. The Rebbe specifically directed that all votes should be cast solely for the Agudat Yisrael party, marked with the letter Gimel.
This directive was officially announced by the Rebbe's personal assistant, Nach Goldberg, on Shabbat evening in the main synagogue before the evening prayers. The announcement emphasized that deviating from this instruction is forbidden and that voting for other parties is strongly discouraged.
A Hasid described the decision as a significant milestone, noting that the Rebbe had previously refrained from intervening in Knesset elections. This past neutrality was attributed to family ties with the Satmar Hasidism and a desire to uphold ancestral customs. His father also did not publicly express his voting preferences, and only his grandfather once signed a joint public letter with another prominent Rebbe.
Notably, the Lelov Rebbe himself does not vote in national elections, only in municipal ones. However, the current political climate in Israel, and concerns about smaller parties potentially eroding the Haredi vote, prompted this decisive public stance.
The Rebbe's intervention comes amid fears that fringe parties might siphon votes from the Haredi public, potentially falling below the electoral threshold.
