Israeli law prohibits anyone from promising spiritual reward, blessings, health, or wealth in exchange for voting for a particular political party or threatening spiritual harm, excommunication, early death or other maladies if the wrong party is voted for. The law also prohibits parties from giving supporters amulets, written blessings from rabbinic leaders and the like in exchange for votes or to lure votes. But that law is frequently – and successfully – violated by haredi political parties
Above: a kabbalistic amulet
NGO To Ask Elections Committee To Warn Haredi Parties About Trading Rabbinic Blessings And Amulets For Votes
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israeli law prohibits anyone from promising spiritual reward, blessings, health, or wealth in exchange for voting for a particular political party or threatening spiritual harm, excommunication, early death or other maladies if the wrong party is voted for. The law also prohibits parties from giving supporters amulets, written blessings from rabbinic leaders and the like in exchange for votes or to lure votes.
But that law is frequently– and successfully –violated by haredi political parties who exploit naive followers who believe senior haredi rabbis’ words have special divine import.
Threats of eternal damnation and lures of amulets and blessings help keep haredi voters loyal, and in the case of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party helped give it many votes from non-haredi Sefardim.
The process of filing a complaint about these election law violations and waiting for the almost toothless elections committee to rule on them can take days, and in Israel’s extremely short campaign cycle that means that violators of the law almost always benefit from their violations.
So Hiddush – the nonprofit that advocates for the freedom of and from religion, and which has frequently complained to Israel’s High Court and to election authorities about these violations – will ask Israel’s Central Elections Committee tomorrow to warn all political parties about the ban now before the upcoming election, the Jerusalem Post reported.
In theory, this should mean that haredi political parties won’t be able to claim their violations are accidental, and that would (again in theory) up the tiny monetary amount of the fines somewhat.
But law or no law, enforcement or not, unless haredi votes are voided due to these violations it is unlikely haredi political parties and their proxies will stop trading blessings, amulets and religious charms for votes, or will stop threatening those who vote for the wrong party with eternal damnation and early death.