Top Official Rushes Back to City to Boost Voter Turnout
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Dudi Zaltz, director of the Information Directorate and a Knesset candidate, urgently returned to Beitar Illit to boost voter turnout due to concerningly low percentages. He joined Mayor Meir Rubinstein in a last-minute effort to encourage citizens to vote. This action followed an emergency warning from MK Yaakov Asher about high turnout in other sectors, urging a strong response from the Haredi community before polls closed at 10:00 PM.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Dudi Zaltz returned to Beitar Illit to urgently boost low voter turnout.
- Mayor Meir Rubinstein expressed shock at the low participation, calling it unprecedented.
- Zaltz urged voters to make an effort and not stay home before polls closed.
- MK Yaakov Asher warned of high turnout in Arab and left-wing sectors.
- The emergency effort occurred hours before polls were scheduled to close at 10:00 PM.
Dudi Zaltz, director of the Information Directorate and a Knesset candidate for United Torah Judaism, urgently returned to Beitar Illit on Tuesday to help boost voter turnout. Zaltz, who was touring election headquarters nationwide, decided to leave everything and join Mayor Meir Rubinstein in a last-minute emergency effort after receiving concerning data on the city's voting percentages.
Zaltz and Rubinstein were seen in footage from Beitar Illit's election headquarters encouraging voters to go to the polls, amid fears of low turnout. "There is no choice, we must awaken the field," Zaltz stated upon his arrival. Mayor Rubinstein expressed shock at the situation, saying, "We haven't encountered things like this since election campaigns decades ago. How can this be? It's the work of Satan! Mercy, 'Gevald!'"
Zaltz emphasized the gravity of the situation, urging, "We have a few hours so that, God forbid, we are not in a state of desecrating God's name. We are sure that with God's help, salvation will come from Beitar. The commitment is on each and every one of us, do not give up, make an effort, call again and again, so that no one stays home!" In additional footage, Zaltz is seen on the phone with a voter, confirming their intention to vote and asking them to come to the headquarters to help.
The effort in Beitar Illit comes after a dramatic emergency call from United Torah Judaism Chairman MK Yaakov Asher earlier in the day. Asher warned that voter turnout in the Arab sector and left-wing areas was high and comparable to Haredi concentrations. "We must give a strong, weighty answer. Whoever sits at home is violating 'You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.'" The polls were set to close at 10:00 PM, with the battle for every vote continuing until the last moment.
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