The Bais Din Rabbonei Chabad in Eretz Yisroel has issued a detailed public letter ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, declaring that Chabad is not affiliated with any political party and warning that no individual or political activist is authorized to invoke the name of Chabad or the Lubavitcher Rebbe for political purposes.
At the same time, the rabbonim stressed that Chabad chassidim are obligated to vote and should encourage others to do so, citing the Rebbe’s longstanding directive to support “the list that is most chareidi l’dvar Hashem” and that will safeguard the integrity of the Torah, the Jewish people and Eretz Yisroel.
The letter, issued by the Bais Din Rabbonei Chabad in Eretz Yisroel, the senior rabbinic body of Chabad chassidim in Israel, seeks to establish clear boundaries regarding Chabad’s involvement in the election campaign and prevent political figures or activists from presenting themselves as representatives of the movement.
The rabbonim begin by reiterating what they describe as a fundamental principle established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
“The holy position of the Rebbe, the leader of our generation, is well known: Chabad Chassidus is nonpartisan, and we have no affiliation with any political party. Our mission is to engage in spreading Yiddishkeit and the wellsprings outward and to prepare the world to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu.”
The rabbonim said that this principle precludes attempts to identify Chabad with any particular political party or camp.
They then addressed a recurring phenomenon during Israeli election campaigns in which various individuals publicly claim to speak on behalf of Chabad or suggest that their political position represents the movement’s official view.
“Accordingly, no one has permission to express an opinion in the name of Chabad, and anyone who makes statements regarding the elections does not represent the official position of Chabad Chassidus, and those statements reflect their own views alone. The official position of Chabad Chassidus is solely in accordance with the directives of the Bais Din.”
The letter goes further by establishing restrictions on Chabad chassidim serving as candidates for political parties.
“A Chabad chossid may not serve as a member of the Knesset in any party [without written authorization from the Bais Din],” the rabbonim wrote.
The Bais Din also addressed Chabad chassidim who work for political parties or participate in election campaigns, making clear that such individuals are acting in their personal capacities and may not present their political activity as being conducted on behalf of Chabad.
“Chabad chassidim who work for various parties, as well as those who serve as political activists, do not represent Chabad Chassidus whatsoever, and they may not use the name of the Rebbe or Chabad in these matters.”
Despite drawing a firm line between Chabad and partisan political activity, the rabbonim emphasized that Chabad’s nonpartisan status should not be interpreted as a directive to abstain from voting. On the contrary, they said, the Rebbe repeatedly emphasized the obligation to participate in elections and to influence others to vote as well.
“At the same time, the holy position of the Rebbe regarding the obligation to vote in elections, both personally and by influencing others, is well known, as is his directive ‘to vote for the list that is most chareidi l’dvar Hashem,’ which will concern itself with shleimus haTorah, shleimus ha’am and shleimus ha’aretz, in accordance with the Rebbe’s wishes.”
The letter was signed by a broad group of prominent Chabad rabbonim serving on the Bais Din, including Rav Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky, rov of Nachalas Har Chabad in Kiryat Malachi; Rav Avrohom Michel Halperin, rov of the French Hill neighborhood in Yerushalayim; Rav Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, rov of the Chabad community in Rechovot; Rav Eliyahu Yochanan Gurary, rov of Holon; Rav Yosef Hecht, rov of Eilat; and Rav Moshe Havlin, rov of Kiryat Gat.
Also signing were Rav Yisroel Yosef Hakohen Hendel, rov of the Chabad community in Migdal HaEmek; Rav Meir Ashkenazi, rov of Kfar Chabad; Rav Mordechai Bistritzky, rov of the Chabad community in Tzefas; Rav Chaim Shlomo Diskin, rov of Kiryat Ata; Rav Yeshayahu Hertzel, former rov of Nof HaGalil; Rav Yosef Yitzchok Wolosow, rov of Ramat Yishai; Rav Shneur Zalman Yaroslavsky, rov of the Chabad community in Elad; Rav Yaakov Mendelson, rov of the Chabad community in Arad; Rav Chaim Keizer, rov of the Chabad community in Emanuel; and Rav Yaakov Shwekey, one of the rabbonim of Kiryat Malachi and a senior figure at the central Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Kfar Chabad.
The letter thus seeks to draw a clear distinction ahead of the elections: Chabad itself does not belong to a political party, and individual chassidim cannot claim to speak politically in its name, while participation in the election and support for a slate adhering most closely to Torah principles remain directives that the rabbonim say were explicitly established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
{Matzav.com}
