The big focus on the Haredi side of the Bet Shemesh elections seems to be can the extremists, Neturei Karta and others, be persuaded to vote, against their normal rules and tradition. In this past week, there have been a number of articles in the Haredi media - both print and online, and it has been the topic of conversation on the Haredi radio shows.
As I have said before, I personally feel there is nothing wrong with the extremists voting in the elections, should they want to participate. That being said, I think it would be wrong for them to break with their beliefs and tradition. I also do to expect them to, especially because they consider the haredi community in Israel to be just as much of a chilul hashem as the secular community in Israel.
Sure, they might be able to get away with calling it "horaat sha'a" and say it is just a one-time event, but if they find an excuse this time, they surely know they will lose their grip on their followers and people will later find more excuses to break with tradition. That's just the way it works.
But, if they want to vote, if they decide that it is in their best interests, if they can be persuaded to vote, no problem here.
What I find more interesting about this issue is that the Haredi community normally disassociates itself from the extremists, saying things like we are not like them, we don't have to answer for them, don't hold us responsible for their violence, we have no connection to them, they harm us as much or even more than they do the general community.... for them to now pursue the support of the Neturei Karta and extremist community would be strange. Why would they want to be beholden to this group of extremists and owe them favors and support later? If the haredi community really pursues this connection to the extremist community, all the answers and excuses writing them off will no longer work.
Religion Magazine
