In 2015 Shas joined the World Zionist fray, and in 2020 the Haredi faction Eretz Hakodesh (not officially affiliated with Degel Hatorah, despite MK Pindrus's involvement in Eretz Hakodesh (along with others on the team being involved in Degel) and Degel's open support for them back in 2020 leading up to the elections.). As you can see on the Eretz Hakodesh website their goal in participating in WZO is to balance the influence of liberal movements, to enable them to influence what transpires in Israel, and the like. If I remember correctly from the campaigning in the last WZO elections, they want a say in how money to Israel is directed and the like.
Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka in Bnei Braq and one of the two co-gedolim (alongside Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch) and rabbinic leaders of Degel Hatorah just made a decisive statement that can lead to an earthquake in Haredi politics and askanus.
According to Rav Landau, as published in the Yated Neeman, Zionism is a movement whose goal is to be a basis for establishing the Jewish nation as a clear secular society with denial of God and rebellion of God as the basis, with all their national institutions built on that objective.
Rav Landau said there is no allowance at all to cooperate with them (ie the Zionists) or to serve in any role by them or to vote in the elections of their national institutions, in any way. Doing so is supporting their "kfira" and their "shmad" and their chillul hashem.
I wonder what Eretz Hakodesh is going to do now in the upcoming WZO elections after this decision by Rav Landau.
I think Shas has less of a problem, as they follow their rabbinic council of sages who have not (yet?) made a similar statement and are not obligated to follow Rav Landau's decision, even if it makes things uncomfortable for them.
Seemingly Rav Landau has spoken and conferred with rabbanim and community leaders from the USA and elsewhere around the world to understand what type of cooperation is happening and how the systems in WZO work, before coming to this decision. He also reportedly conferred with people close to gedolim of the past who had supported it to understand how they related to it and what their exact rulings on it were.
Interestingly, Rav Landau concludes his letter stating that participation in the Knesset elections as per instructions from the rabbonim is not connected to this decision at all.
I would like to understand what the difference is. The Knesset is as Zionistic an institution as any other and as any part of WZO is. Why is participation in elections in Israel ok but not in WZO, but also why is having a party in Knesset and sharing responsibility in government ok but not in WZO?
Anyways, with WZO elections coming this year I am curious to see how Eretz Hakodesh will maneuver this...
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