Maranan verabonon including HaRav Eliashiv
shlita have issued a holy call to vote and promote
only the United Torah Judaism list, which appears as a
gimmel on ballot slips, in the Knesset elections
scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
Under the heading, "Mi LeHashem Eileinu," the charged
announcement points out that fateful matters affecting
fundamental elements of Judaism hang in the balance in the
current elections, including the survival of the holy
yeshivas and the sanctity of Shabbos Kodesh.
In the notice gedolei Yisroel shlita write, "Every
effort must be made to strengthen the bounds of Judaism to
put a stop to every vilifier who seeks to undermine the well-
being and security of the inhabitants of Eretz Hakodesh. . .
.
"We pray to Hashem Yisborach that those who vote for the UTJ
and Shabbat - Gimmel list, which is true to Hashem and His
Torah, and which unites different groups to achieve its
supreme goal, working as one in these difficult times and
increasing activists and warriors for our Holy Torah and for
kodshei Yisroel in the traditional Jewish spirit with
love and brotherhood, peace and friendship, may they be
blessed with children, life and sustenance and all blessings
from the Source of Blessings and may all who vote for United
Torah Judaism and Shabbat - Agudas Yisroel Degel HaTorah,
whose symbol is Gimmel, be blessed with all the
blessings written in the Torah."
The UTJ campaign headquarters notes that everyone can
daven for the success of the list.
The United Torah Judaism and Shabbat Publicity Bureau
strongly denounced the inappropriate and deceitful use of
UTJ's campaign slogan for the chareidi sector, "Mishpachah
Yehudit Gedolah" ("A Big Jewish Family").
The slogan was conceived by the Bolton advertising agency and
drew widespread praise and popularity, but was later used by
interested figures wholly unassociated with UTJ.
"This was an initiative by a known figure," said the UTJ
Publicity Bureau, "who is calling on all of the religious and
chareidi parties to form a bloc that he says would only enter
the coalition together." According to the Publicity Bureau
the initiative failed in the previous term when the National
Religious Party decided to tie its fate to the Sharon-Shinui
government, despite repeated requests by UTJ not to join.
Now an individual is trying to revive the idea on his own
initiative by placing the symbols for UTJ, Shas, and NRP-
HaIchud HaLeumi under the campaign slogan on posters.
"Regardless of the initiative itself and the decision of
whether to join it or not, a decision that will be made only
by the navigators of the United Torah Judaism and Shabbat
list, gedolei Yisroel shlita, this constitutes
unacceptable use of a party slogan that nobody has the right
to use," said Publicity Bureau Chairman Rabbi Yaakov Litzman,
who heads the UTJ list, adding that he intends to seek legal
advice on the matter.
