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Dear Friend, Neighbor, Relative, Fellow Parent and/or Shul Member, amv"sh
The WZC or the World Zionist Congress elections are ending this Thursday. If you don't consider yourself a Zionist but you consider yourself Shomrei Torah UMitzvoth, Yirei Shamayim, an Ohev Yisroel this email is also for you! This vote affects Torah Hashkafa and funding for Torah education for Jews like yourself and your family members Please read on!
If you consider yourself a Zionist than this email is definitely for you and is a reminder for you to vote in the WZC election and to send a reminder to all your contacts whom you think should vote.
The deadline is coming up. Just a few more days. Voting closes this Thursday night April 30th midnight . Fyi the delegates are voted for every 4 years so the ramifications of these elections will continue for 4 years until the next vote.
The WZC have 450 delegates from throughout the world,145 come from America. The Conservative Movement, the Reform Movement and the Orthodox Community are all represented.
If you are more Chareidi, "black hat" camp, or have a Chofetz Chaim Hashkafa, and think it doesn't affect you directly, than let me ask you this. Perhaps you or your child or a friend or a friend's child or relative attended Mir Yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel which gets funded directly from WZO or received a scholarship for a Bais Yaakov Seminary like Bnos Sarah, that receives funding from Masa? Check out these Bais Yaakov Seminaries which are funded by Masa coming from the WZO? http://www.masaisrael.org (search for "bais yaakov")
This information alone should suffice to convince you to vote and to convince others to vote. Hakoras Hatov if nothing else.
Part of the billion dollar budget that comes from WZO had been allocated to these Yeshivoth as well as other programs. This happened because delegates within the 450 member of the WZC (World Zionist Congress) within the WZO (World Zionist Organization) appreciate the value of Torah and Jewish Education.
This may surprise you but that is the reality. The Vote Torah slate from America for example has 35 delegates. VoteTorah.org. Some very influential members of important committees come within their ranks.
Well I'm not a Mizrachist nor a Religious Zionist you say.
Let me beg you to have an open mind. This should not be a political decision. People may convince you it is politics and concerns helping a Zionist organization and better not to get involved. They advise your focus to be on learning Torah, davening, being ehrlich and convince you this is nisht inzere sugia. (not a concern of ours)
Please think logically about this argument. How is this election any different than any election. Don't you want a Torah position to dominate politics rather than the opposite. Our Rabbanim always encourage us to vote so that our values will be represented properly. This is no different. This vote actually does affect you directly and indirectly. It affects the Mi hu Yehudi vote, the Who is a Jew vote in the Knesset and it affects allocations to Jewish education which includes educational grants for Jews in the Diaspora. We all know how expensive it is to study a year in Israel. If you do not vote, you indirectly empower those who do not share Torah values because they will get the most votes and the most funding.
Is it any surprise that Israel politics is dominated by those without a Torah Hashkafa. if you or others like you don't take the time to vote nor appreciate why it is relevant to you who can you hold accountable that you are not represented and that they get all the benefits and funding?
Wouldn't you want delegates who believe in Torah to carry key positions on the committees which help to decide how funds are allocated? Surely you do. If that is the case, doesn't it make sense to vote for a slate and for delegates who are likely to vote to allocate monies into programs and Hashkafa most to your liking?
Torah Observant Jews have demography on its side. Torah observant Jews should have more delegates representing them because it is a truthful representation of their demography. This demography will not be represented nor reflected if they have no representation.
Let me explain how the secular "Zionist" effectively convince the Torah community, (and unfortunately the leaders fall for it), to take less of what they truly deserve. They convince them that being a Zionist is to be anti Torah. They convince the community to be passive by feeding on the desire to stay away from anything labeled as "Zionist" which translates to something secular and by extension treif..
But they are fooling you and don't fall for it. This will keep you out of the picture and they will make decisions that affect you according to their values and beliefs.
Torah Observant Jews daven 3x a day or at least try to. We daven for Zion and cry for the Beit Hamikdash, and for Zion whose literal translation means a marker. Hamakom (The Place) Asher Yivchar Hashem, refers to the designated spot assigned by Hashem for the Beit Hamikdash. That is the accurate and truthful definition of Zion. It is in all of our prayers be in Shacharit, Mincha and Maariv not to mention bentching. We sing it each time the H-ly Ark, the Aron HaKodesh is opened when we read from the Torah. "Ki Mizion Tezei Torah Udvar Hashem MeYerushalyim". From Zion, Torah will go Forth and the Word of G-d from Jerusalem?
By definition, as a Chareidi Torah observant Jew that makes you a Zionist even if you don't want to call yourself one or be labeled as such.
However, like so many other truths, the lexicon, the terminology has been hijacked. "Peace" Now stands for support of the Palestinians who speak of wiping Israel off the map. "Human rights" council in the UN are headed and represented by regimes known for their worse abuse of human rights, who deny freedom of religion and turn women into their slaves and deny them the freedom to safely walk the streets unaccompanied.
Unfortunately the term Zionist has morphed into a false mental image of someone who is anti Torah.
One who is knowledgeable in Torah knows that only in the Land of Israel, specifically Zion, the place of the H-ly Beis Hamikdash can Torah Law, truth and justice be actualized to its fullest.
But don't we need a Sanhedrin for this to actualize? Moshiach has yet to arrive!
In answer, surely we can all agree that in order to actualize our dream of returning to Zion of thousands of years, we first must acknowledge that Zion is fundamental to Torah rather than the opposite..
By definition, a true Zionist is one who desires Torah and G-d's Word to spread to the 4 corners of the earth.
So don't feel that by declaring yourself a Zionist you have turned your back on Torah.
Quite the opposite, you are representing Torah and you are voting for Torah. Don't let strangers, a wolf dressed in sheep clothing convince you otherwise. We must take back our Heritage and be a proud Zionist, the bearer of Torah, truth and justice.
It is for this reason Mishpacha Magazine, Rabbi Twersky active in the Agudah in Chicago and many Rabbanim have called upon their constituents to vote in this election. The importance to vote or a debate regarding the matter was written up in Matzav.com. http://matzav.com/the-time-is-now-vote-today and Yeshiva World http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/voting-for-the-world-zionist-congress
I hear you say. The sponsors for VoteTorah.org slate is predominantly Dati Leumi and not Chareidi.
in answer let us take our cue from the Talmud. The Talmud is the perfect example that within the framework of Torah we have our differences. Hillel and Shamai are the perfect examples. Hopefully next election we will be united around Torah and not be divided by false narratives that convince Torah Jews that to be a Zionist means to be anti Torah.
I hope you are convinced to vote!
There are different slates in this election which resonate with Torah Hashkafa. VoteTorah.org is obviously one of them.
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Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch. May their memories serve as a blessing.
Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Robin Ticker
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch. May their memories serve as a blessing.
Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Personal emails to individuals will not be posted to my blog.
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