I looked at the names of the Rabbis on the Chabad Court who came out ostensibly against Hazit. I did a search on Arutz Sheva for each of the names and the results came out as expected. None of these Rabbis were vocal during the fight against the Disengagement. They played it safe, not getting political. Many find it shocking that they have now decided to speak up.
Orange Chabad Rabbis Support Hazit
It has recently been publicized that the Chabad Rabbinical Court in Eretz Yisorel has made a statement for its own communities, and for the general public, to vote for parties which have the best chance of actually getting elected, as opposed to voting for small, upstart parties that have a higher risk of not getting the minimum number of votes. The admitted implication of this position is that they are urging people not to vote for Hazit, the party of Baruch Marzel.
I looked at the names of the Rabbis on the Chabad Court who came out ostensibly against Hazit. I did a search on Arutz Sheva for each of the names and the results came out as expected. None of these Rabbis were vocal during the fight against the Disengagement. They played it safe, not getting political. Many find it shocking that they have now decided to speak up.
In response to the statement by the Chabad Court – and at the same time being careful not to contradict the wording – thirty-five Chabad rabbis have now signed a proclamation that they are confident that Hazit will have enough votes to sit in the Knesset. “For sure Hazit will be in the Knesset,” confirms Rabbi Sholom Dovber Wolpe, one of the chief Chabad activists against the Disengagement. “Marzel is the only one who is running who says what the Rebbe says. We cannot vote for anyone else.”
On March 7, Rabbi David Druckman of Kiryat Motzkin, another Chabad Chosid who was a leader in the anti-Disengagement campaign, sent a letter to the religious parties: Shas, United Torah Judaism, Hazit, and National Union-National Religious Party, in accordance with the Rebbe’s instructions to vote for a religious party. The letter asked them to sign a proclamation which read: “We the undersigned declare that we will not join – under any circumstances, nor for any material or spiritual promises – a government whose guidelines include partial or full agreement to the Road Map or to any other plan that includes giving away Jewish communities or any territory of the Land of Israel to foreigners, or to autonomy for Arabs in the Land of Israel – and all this even in exchange for peace agreements.”
The only party to sign the proclamation was Hazit. The one who comes closest to committing to not joining a ‘land-for-peace’ government is Rabbi Benny Elon, but even he admits he is speaking personally and not for his party. Add to that, his party is running together with the NRP who have shown they will sit on such a government. The last time they did it, they claimed they could change more from inside the government than from the outside. History vouches for how effective they were in stopping the Disengagement from inside the government… whereas the tenets of Democracy call for a strong opposition, i.e. outside the government, to keep a Democracy healthy.
Twenty eight years ago, on Shushan Purim of 1977, the Chabad Rebbe let it be known that he disapproved of any partnership with a government that goes against the Torah – essentially, against G-d. The Rebbe elaborated, for a religious person to be part of such a government is a self-abasement and a path to destroying the Jewish nation in the name of religion.
There is no religious party that was in the current Knesset which did not sit with Sharon at different stages of the Disengagement. That leaves no choice for the Chabad voter. They are confident their votes will not be wasted on a party which is borderline. Their votes will support Hazit.
zalman
I can’t believe the audacity of this writer?!?
Writing against the Rabbonim of the Beis Din of Eretz Yisroel?!?
Just to express her warped perception of reality?!?
Quoting Wolpo, who openly fights our Derech by calling people nazis?!? Who was screamed upon by the Rebbe in public for his antics?
The Rabbonim were right in this matter, Marzel has no chance of getting close to the amount needed, and is lacking any sense of reality.
The Rabbonim are the official leaders of anash in Eretz Yisroel, and we must listen to them, even if it contradicts your neo-zionist-feminist-messianist dreams.
MFH
Let’s leave aside the fact of Marzel being a racist and facist – he doesn’t have a chance of getting into the knesset, and the Rebbe didn’t want votes to go to waste.. blah blah blah-blah.
but she-s right!
Power to you, Aliza
I can’t say I would so easily go against the Rabonim, but to vote for Aguda, who spits in our faces, and in the Rebbe’s face whenever possible, would disgust me too.
It’s very confusing, since it’s true Marzel doesn’t have a chance, and a vote should not be wasted, but to sell yourself to the misnagdim who did nothing about the disengagement, scorn Chabad, and sell their principles for money?!?
Moish / Eretz Yisroel
I don’t know if Mrs. Karp lives in Eretz Yisroel. I do.
My commitment to Shleimus haAretz is shown in the fact that I live in Greater Eretz Yisrael, I don’t know if she also does. Arutz 7 is not the place to look for halachic or ethical advise. Arutz 7 like all the other Dati-Leumi people take advantage of Chabad because the flag waving guys will go to all their demonstrations. Artuz 7 and the Dati-Leumi public hate Chabad and the Rebbe, they constantly quote the former Rosh Yeshiva of Ponovezh to that end. They use Chabad, chew it and spit it and work against Chabad on issues like Mi hu Yehudi and Itchalta deGeulah.
Rabanei Beis Din Chabad dEretz haKoidesh have made a call to all Chassidim to carry out the Rebbe’s wishes. They are the people the Rebbe put there to guide us and we listen.
I’ll remind you that Marzel is a Kachnik and that Kahane was the one who in his book "The story of the JDL" called the Rebbe a liar and even illustrated with a little story about how chassidic Rebbes take money for doing nothing.
Talking like this about Rabanei Beis Din d’Anash is just Chutzpah that shouldn’t have a place in this blog.
HELLO!?
I am highly unimpressed with the publishing of this article. It belongs together with any other flag-waving propaganda on chabad.info. The Rabbanei Chabad do their best to show Chabad not as an extreme right-wing, Kach-like organization. although kach and the like should exist and should do the things they do (demonstrations, etc.) but NOT UNDER THE NAME OF CHABAD! Didn’t we learn our lesson with Bibi???
yossy h
marzel will get in with the help of chabad and with the help of left wingers not showing up to vote and this artical makes a very good points
hello/zalmen have no clue
Pikuach Nefesh
A true "lover" of Jews could only vote for either Hazit or Herut b/c they are the ONLY parties for the ENTIRE Land which = pikuach nefesh.
All this hot air about us Chabadnikim loving our fellow Jews is EMPTY when many of us do not stand for the Rebbe’s shita about Shleimus HaArutz. This was also driven home by the utter lack of Chabadnikim that showed up in Gush Katif b’gufim (maybe 45).
Aliza is absolutely correct and Marzel WILL ABSOLUTELY get in. And when that happens, all those naysayers and pessimists will need to beg for mechila from those theyr tried to merachaik from an emese avoda of electing a Torah Jew who unequivocally favors the Land and Jewish lives.
Mendy - Jerusalem
Aliza,
I admire your passion!
It reminds me of rich people who "feel bad for the poor". Put your money where your mouth is and come vote. Until then, you have no right to tell me how to vote.
We are the ones who have deal with this government. Words cannot express the undiluted hatred that we feel for Olmert. Therefore we have to be as practical and realistic as possible. Every real vote against him counts!
Marzel is a nut. By voting for him – it’s as if you voted for Olmert.
But you can go back to getting your news from Arutz7 and taxi drivers.
Mendy – Jerusalem
Zev
I find it very ironic that the same "Chabad leaders" who stated this summer that it is not the way of Chabad to get involved in politics are now dictating how Chabadniks should vote. Unfortunately, Chabad is also not immune from the blood money-for-yeshivas syndrome that plagues virtually every other religious group in Eretz Israel. Also, shame on anyone who mocks those who are involved in the mivtza of Shleimus Ha’Aretz, which the Rebbe promoted for over 25 years.
the truth
These Rabbis said nothing during the disengagement, nish haint gedacht. They want the easy way out of everything. of course its more comftorable as well not to publisize the sichos of nun beis. (as jem will never put a nun beis sicha about moshiach, on video). But we have to fight for whats right not for whats comftorable.
Even though its not that comftorable to side with Marzel because hes not a popular person and one wont gain respect and popularity by being his friend, but that should not be the issue. one should evaluate truthfuly if hes going to do the right thing or not. and it sounds like he has more intention to do the right thing than all other parties.
And lets not forget, this is backed by the gaon and genious Rabbi Volpo Shlita who was very active regarding gush katif, and Rabbi Drukman Shlita who is far from a mishichist, yet when soemthing is right he will go along with it eventhough it means breaking off the popular and more cimftorable main stream.
the picture is clear.
Go Marzel
Simple guy
To: "Hello?"
Just because he is a Kachnik dosent mean you shouldnt vote for him, if you go on those lines, then you cant vote for any party because there is no Lubavitcher one, and UTJ is Ger or Misnagdic, and NRP is Mizrachi.
Point is, the Rebbe said that you MUST vote, now being that there is no Lubavitcher party, you have to vote for the party that’s views are closest to our’s.
Now everybody put aside your bias against the author or Volpa or whoever and instead THINK for a second, the whole argument in essence, is weather he’ll have enough votes to get in to the Knesset, the VRC think he won’t and Volpa thinks he will, the fact is, his views ARE the CLOSEST as they get to the Rebbes, closer then UTJ, NRP, or Shas.
to the truth
wow. truly amazing insight.
thanks
p.s. Go Moshiach lol good night
Yaakov Ish Tam
Since when is it the derech of Chabad OR the Rebbe to "play it safe" and base our actions on opinion polls and popularity contests? The Rebbe was a a living breathing symbol of Mesirus Nefesh for Torah and Emes as was the Previous Rebbe and the Rabbeim before them. When the Rebbe announced the Tefillin Campaign did he first take an opinion poll to see whether or not it would be popular? When the Previous Rebbe sent Chassidim to their DEATHS in order to ensure that there was Jewish Chinuch, and Mikevos throughout Russia did he take a survey first? Did he run the numbers and see what his chances of success were?
The Rebbe did not SCREAM at the top of his lungs about many issues, we ALL know that he DID do so about shleimus haaretz. As was said above the ONLY party(s) which even come CLOSE to the Rebbe’s vision for Shelimus Haaretz are Marzel/Hazit and Kleiner/Herut both men who I know personally and have tremendous respect for. They are also the only parties who truly support a RELIGIOUS platform and will not compromise on other Torah issues like Mi Hu Yeudi, Civil marriages, Shabbos etc..
If we are to listen to the psak of the Beis Din, and Marzel has no chance of entering the Knesset (which I think is an incorrect assessment of the facts) the ONLY OPTION left to a Chabad Chassid is NOT TO VOTE AT ALL. SO the way I see it there are 2 choices, either vote for Marzel or DON’T VOTE which seems to be the biggest waste of all and is not a logical option according to the OWN words of the Beis Din.
We cannot vote for Ichud Leumi/Mafdal who openly support Civil Marriages, Arab autonomy in Yesh(a) and have a very poor track record of sitting in destructive anti-Torah governments to the bitter end.
Gimel and Shas I need not even discuss here…… Unless the Beis Din was being meramez to vote for Bibi and Likud again, but I think we all learned our lesson the last time………
Rafael V. Rabinovich
BS"D
Only two points to add to Ish Tam’s comment:
1. For the record, the second most-spoken of issue in the Rebbe’s sichos during the last 30 years is, mind you, Sheleimus Haaretz. Anyone proposing a dicotomy between the Rebbe’s derech and the imperative of Shleimus Haaretz would be contradicting the Rebbe’s expressed directives.
2. The number one issue in the Rebbe’s sichos is, as is well known, Moshiach. The true position of the Rebbe, and therefore what the chassidim ought to emulate, is that the government of Israel should be then one that defends sheleimus Haam, Sheleimus Haaretz, and Sheleimus HaTorah. But that ONLY as a temporary measure. The Rebbe explicitly said that the Rosh Memshalah of Israel should be Moshiach himself! Having Eretz Yisroel in it’s entirety, and Yerushalayim as its capital, etc., is not the end of the struggle, is only a necesary step. What we really want is the Bais HaMikdash to be standing on Har Habayis.
Lets not lose perspective on petty, everyday political issues. Neither should we lose hope or grow weary if a mere election doesn’t go as we would like. Nothing has really changed.
WHAT WE REALLY WANT IS MOSHIACH NOW!!!
nemo
Once read that Rav Askenazi asked the Rebbe why Chabad doesn’t go out and protest Chillul Shabbos in Israel. The Rebbe replied that it is very necessary and commendable. It is our obligation, but, because others have carried out the obligation already, and continue to do so, Chabad can stay to the side. We have an obligation to atract non-frum Jews, and it matters little which side of the religious spectrum they are on.
The Rabbi said that the same may apply with politics and protesting {this was in the in the lead-up to the Gaza disengagement}. We Chabadnikim have the obligation to go out and protest, however we also have the responsibility to be on good terms with our fellow jews. We remain apolitical for the purpose of not scaring away others that disagree with our stance. We do not however, change our opinions, but the responsibility to protest is discharged by our brothers.
Y. Grubnik
When all is said and nothing is done the question remains: Who will take action to follow the explicit instructions of the Rebbe (you can say Z’L, Shlit’o, Shil’o,
or any other "address). Aliza CORRRECTLY points out that Chazit is the ONLY party in Eretz Yisroel that comes close. As for the ad-hominem or irrelevant commments above ("she doesn’t live in Eretz Yisroel, she is going against the Rabbonim, etc)> All beside the point and just hot air. In a few hours we’ll see who gets in. If Olmert wins we lose.
Moish / Eretz Yisroel
Well to all of you the veredict is in. See it for your self. Marzel DIDN’T get in as expected and he wasted ONE FULL SEAT IN THE KENESSET. Grubnik is wrong just like Aliza. The Rebbe told us to vote in order to influence things and the 25000 votes that Marzel wasted (lots of them of "Chabad.info Chassidim" who didn’t listen to the Rabbonim) didn’t carry out the Rebbe’s wish. Even if Marzel were to be in the kenesset what does it really matter, he and Azmi Beshara will yell at each other the whole day, but the Arabs have 10 seats and Marzel none. Thank you Aliza, Grubnik, et al. for being so pasionate about Shleimus HaAretz maybe one day you would like to live here also.
wannabe chosid
AS the vote is in it is quite clear that Bais DIn was right not the Wild Wolpe.
The Rebbe always said "Hachreidim lidvar Hashem"
Dvar Hashem would mean the whole of Torah.
Yes the Rebbe wanted Shleimus haaretz. But based on Shleimus Hatorah.
Just because someone went for Shleimus Haaretz does not mean that is what the Rebbe meant.
It is quite difficult today to undestand how to apply the desire of the Rebbe but it meant more than JUST shleimus haaretz.
When we are mikaruv a Jew do we have to convince him to only fight against disengagement or must we teach him Torah?
It is time we realized that the Rebbe’s shita was KOL HATORAH KULO not just shleimus Haaretz
Simple Guy
Duh! He lost, well the VRC said not to vote for him, no kidding!
Now you have proof that they were right?
obviously, after they told everybody not to vote for him, he lost, gee, what a genious, c’mon use seichel, and stop side-tracking by criticizing Volpe.
fight for extreme right
i have to agree the most with simple guy. all the people who wrote against Aliza feel like they can gloat now. obviously if no one votes for them, chazit and cherut have no chance to win.
the people who voted for them, kol hacovod to u, and ur votes werent wasted because u still did the right thing. that olmert won and that the arabs got ten seats had nothing to do with voting for marzel.
and yes moshiach was the number one thing but shleimus haaretz was number two. i see plenty of people working on the moshiach agenda but shleimus haaretz is falling to the side. Aliza, ignore every one else. u know what the rebbe said adn waned adn thats what u do.
to ¨simple guy¨
even if the rabanay chabad and the whole lubavitch would vote for him he would get in.
Rafael V. Rabinovich
I just don’t get it.
I once reponded to an article written by Aliza published in the Crown Heights Chronicle, about why we should support Moshe Feiglin. Feiglin stayed in Likud, and is now irrelevant. Aliza argued to support Marzel, but he didn’t get into the Kneset, and he’s now irrelevant.
Then we’re told to just shut up, take it, and be smiley-good-boychiks so that we can mekarev "frai" yidden.
AND WHAT ABOUT SHELEIMUS HAARETZ? The Rebbe spoke more about that issue than anything else, except of course Moshiach and Geulah.
Yes, keep all the pleasant manners you want, but don’t call yourself a chassid of the Rebbe if you don’t follow the Rebbe’s hora’a.
The only question remaining is:
WHAT NOW?