Aguda: Don't Come Calling!

It is the 11th hour, the 90th minute - the clock is running out and all the parties are nervous. Some are issuing threats as if they are desperate. One of those is Agudat Yisrael.

On the one hand UTJ seems to be doing very well. They have polled well throughout the campaign, they are drawing support from Yachad/Eli Yishai/Rav Mazuz and now also from Rav Yosef Eliyahu (son of Rav Mordechai Eliyahu). They have support, perhaps unofficial, from some important Chabad rabbis. They have upset Shas with some of their areas of campaigning, meaning it is likely they are drawing in new voters that traditionally voted elsewhere.

On the other hand, they are still nervous - they think Netanyahu is pulling many of their natural voters, and they also think they are losing many to Feiglin and Bennett and Otzma Yehudit.

UTJ's strategy, specifically the Agudat Yisrael faction's strategy, has been to focus on maximizing the vote from within the member communities of chassidic sects. Some don't vote at all, for being anti-Zionist, and others just don't bother getting too involved and part of the community might and part might not, or they might not be in tight control of their people and some might vote for other parties. Meir Porush, and theirs, have been working hard to get everyone from within on board.

What is interesting is that until now, Porush kept saying that those whose rabbonim say not to vote, should not vote - that's ok, but those that are meant to vote and always have, must vote Aguda and they must all come forward and actualize that - no fake extremism, no laziness or disinterest. Vote unless your tradition from your rabbinic leadership is not to.

That seems to have changed. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

Senior leaders of Agudat Yisrael are now, reportedly, warning the various smaller affiliated hassidic groups letting them know that if they don't step up to the plate and vote for UTJ, they should not bother calling for help later. Agudat Yisrael will keep track of everything, as it is all computerized. They will know which groups do and do not vote. Any group not voting, whose rabbinic guidance does not forbid it, will be ignored later - they should not come looking for assistance from the Agudat Yisrael representatives over the coming years. That era is over-  the era where they help everybody no matter what.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------