Druckman says National Religious should vote for Bayit Yehudi, not Bennett
“Bennett and Shaked have established a general, not a religious party,” Rabbi Haim Druckman told 'The Jerusalem Post.'
By JEREMY SHARONUpdated: DECEMBER 30, 2018 19:45Rabbi Haim Druckman studying with Simcha Goldin, father of slain soldier Hadar Goldin at a Torah study event in December, 2018, held by the Union of Hesder Yeshivas(photo credit: GIDON SHARON)
Rabbi Haim Druckman, one of the most senior and influential leaders of the National Religious community, has called on National Religious voters to cast their ballot for the Bayit Yehudi Party in the upcoming election, and not the Hayemin Hehadash Party established by former Bayit Yehudi leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked on Saturday night.“Bennett and Shaked have established a general, not a religious party,” Druckman told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.“We need large and significant representation for the National Religious community in the Knesset, because the National Religious community is the soul of the state. The national needs all stem from our true Jewish identity, which is the Torah,” he added.On Saturday night, Bennett and Shaked announced they were establishing a new right-wing party because of what they said was their frustration at their limited ability to affect right-wing policies in the outgoing government.Following their announcement, Druckman released a video late Saturday night calling on all members of the National Religious community to support “the one and only religious-Zionist list,” which he said was critical for the State of Israel.Later on Sunday, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, another senior figure in the National Religious community, especially its hardline wing, welcomed Bennett and Shaked’s departure from Bayit Yehudi, saying the party had not represented its religious and values-based voters in recent years.“Bennett is not the typical type of religious person. He permits things for himself which we weren’t used to. He wasn’t representative [of the National Religious community],” Eliyahu told Kan’s Reshet Bet radio station.“Bayit Yehudi represents a values-based community and wants [political] representation. Many people felt in recent years that Bayit Yehudi doesn’t represent the more conservative wing of the National Religious movement, the more religious and more values-based community.“Maybe this split will unite all the National Religious parties.”
