Shas Caught In Alleged "Amulets" For Votes Scam

The Sefardi haredi Shas party has allegedly violated Israel's elections law again by modifying a traveler's prayer card to turn it into an amulet that appears to offer Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's special blessing in return for voting for Shas.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, the chairman of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, has asked Israel’s Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, to decide if a gift the Sefardi haredi Shas political party is handing out to potential voters violates election law.

The tefillat haderech kit includes a CD, the traveler’s prayer, and amulets signed by Shas spiritual head Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Arutz Sheva reported.

(It actually appears that what Arutz Sheva is trying to say is that the traveler’s prayer Yosef signed – and as described below – is itself an amulet, and the kit contained only the CD and that signed prayer.)

Rubinstein forbade the handing out of any more amulets but allowed the distribution of the CDs that are part of the kit.

"The text written on the card that features Tfilat Haderech next to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's picture raises the concern that potential voters may be influenced by the connection between the verse – 'may G-d guard over your going and coming from now to eternity,' which is signed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, above the caption, 'Shas – Maran has decided so,' and the manner of voting.…The accumulation of these things justifies handing the matter over to the Attorney General," Rubenstein’s letter to Weinstein reportedly read.

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Comments

[A Yid]

If Shas would have backbone they would continue to give this away and allow themselves to be prosecuted by the government for it and raise a worldwide stink about the violation of the freedom of speech and freedom
of religion inherent in such a laughable law.

[John Nagle, Silicon Valley, CA]

This is weird. I though that Judaism prohibited idolatry, worship of objects, and worship of individuals. Is that incorrect?

[Yosef ben Matitya]

This is weird. I though that Judaism prohibited idolatry, worship of objects, and worship of individuals. Is that incorrect?
John Nagle,
A Yid on January 18, 2013 at 12:17 PM
these are no amulets, nor idolatry, nor worship of objects, or worship of individuals. they gave away benchers wishing well to the recipients. a case like this will not hold water in the US or any other democratic place. This is what is left over of the 'soviet zionism' phobia of religion. Just FYI, I am far from haredi, but I know this isn't fair nor reasonable.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Yosef ben Matitya| January 18, 2013 at 04:16 PM

in my previous posting, I meant to say that A Yid is right.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

by the way, R' OY doesn't right amulets nor thinks much of writers and users.

[rebeljew]

I am not sure why it is illegal. If support for Shas is support for the rabanut of ROY, and one believes that the mere imparting of the man's blessing has value, then is that person not merely expressing support for him and his party. It is like votes for bumpers stickers effectively. Unless you believe that the bribe has value, it is not a bribe. And if you do believe it has value, then that is, itself, an expression of support for voting that way.

A ture bribe is when I might vote another way but I am paid and that influences me to vote differently. In this case, only one who will vote that way anyway will value the bribe. In America, this is no more than a "ground game" for a campaign.