The Haredi Crisis Exposed: Why Are the Torah Greats Silent Before the Elections? | Shlomo Shamir

An opinion column in Maariv analyzes the silence of the Torah greats before the elections. The author argues that the lack of a unified rabbinic directive reveals a leadership crisis in the Haredi community, and that voters have an alternative in the form of the "Haredi Public" party.

An opinion column in Maariv analyzes the silence of the Torah greats before the Knesset elections. The author, Shlomo Shamir, argues that United Torah Judaism is running without change or innovation, and without any enticement for the Haredi-Hasidic voter. He notes that the absence of a recommendation or instruction from the rabbis is an insulting sign for the Haredi sector, and that there is no authoritative spiritual figure accepted by all factions. The Hasidim have no single rebbe whose opinion is unanimous, and the Lithuanian public has no binding rosh yeshiva. Three Councils of Torah Greats exist, but none have published an opinion on the composition of the lists. Even the rebbes of Gur and Belz refrain from open intervention. The author notes that voters have an alternative in the form of the "Haredi Public" party, and asks whether this will affect voting patterns.