One of the cornerstones of democracy is the civic duty of every person to vote.<\/p>\r\n
We, as Jews who enjoy the kingdom of grace, must take this duty seriously, with a great deal of responsibility and seriousness.<\/p>\r\n
It is of great importance that we march to the polling booths, knowing how important our vote always is - certainly in the current election, which is so extraordinary.<\/p>\r\n
If every citizen views the right to vote as a privilege, how much more so is it of value and weight for us - children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, Jews who for generations lived under dictatorships - which imposed fear and terror that only ceased with the death of the dictator.<\/p>\r\n
The fact that we have the ability to choose our leader is a privilege we should cherish; it is a right that our grandparents could only have dreamed of in their sweetest dreams.<\/p>\r\n
That a Jew could take an active part in a democratic system? A pipe dream.<\/p>\r\n
Beyond that, we have a duty to do things for the community.<\/p>\r\n
Our public has worked hard over the past decades to make our voices heard in government. That voice can only continue to be heard if we agree together, as one community. Such agreement is a first-class tool for our public representatives to collaborate and lead to practical results on the problems that plague us, such as financial assistance for our institutions \u2013 which we so desperately need.<\/p>\r\n
And now to the point: why, for this purpose, should we choose the Democratic Party?<\/p>\r\n
The long tradition in the Jewish business environment in the United States is to belong to the Democratic Party.<\/p>\r\n
Consistently, Jewish leaders in the US felt that the Democratic Party carried the flag when it came to assisting foreigners and refugees. Hence, it was the party that was more favorable to Jews, more supportive of public leaders, and more helpful to the sick and homeless.<\/p>\r\n
The Haredi Jews, from the Satmar leadership in Williamsburg to the American AYG, felt that the Democratic Party was the political home of the American Jew, who felt in the great land like one sheep among 70 wolves.<\/p>\r\n
Strategically correct<\/b><\/p>\r\n
But the reason for supporting the Democratic Party is not only agreement with its premise and worldview, but also political and strategic.<\/p>\r\n
Haredi activists and public figures have assumed over the years that Jews have significant influence when it comes to choosing the presidential candidate.<\/p>\r\n
The Jews in this case simply have a 'strong word.'.<\/p>\r\n
The smaller the pool of participants in the elections, the greater the power of minority groups, and therefore the specific weight of Jews in the internal elections (primaries) for party leadership is valuable and should be utilized for Jewish interests.<\/p>\r\n
Along with this, it is worth emphasizing that this is nothing more than a partnership for the purpose of assisting the public.<\/p>\r\n
There is no patriotic commitment here, or brotherly partnership. This is why we, as Jews, must not be drawn into the wild terminology that dominates the United States today, which includes terms like 'hater,' 'corrupt,' and 'traitor.'.<\/p>\r\n
The new spirit of the Republican devotees<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\n
In recent years, a new and worrying reality has emerged.<\/p>\r\n
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews choose to belong to the Republican path.<\/p>\r\n
They apparently feel that the Democrats are closer to communism \u2013 the movement that has so mistreated Jews throughout the generations, and therefore it is worth laying the cards now with the conservative side, the Republican side.<\/p>\r\n
Added to this was the claim that the liberal, Democratic candidates are immoral and violate basic worldly boundaries.<\/p>\r\n
But even if there is truth to these claims, the current case is irrelevant. The Republican Party is not led by a man with a moral compass at the forefront of his mind. His policies on a variety of issues are very narrow and questionable, and the biggest proof of this is that most of the senior members of this party, such as Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Todd Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and John McCain, have their insides awakened by this man.<\/p>\r\n
Trump's party, then, is a political movement without a moral banner, and for this reason, we as Jews must support the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.<\/p>\r\n
When a leader disrespects the people - it turns on a red light<\/b><\/p>\r\n
The Republican candidate chose the divide-and-rule tactic during the campaign. He found opponents to scapegoat. Muslims, Mexicans, Chinese, African-Americans, etc.<\/p>\r\n
The pessimistic possibility is that he is seriously preparing to abuse minorities, but also the optimistic possibility that it was just election spin and inflammatory language - the fact remains that entire publics feel threatened and humiliated.<\/p>\r\n
We, the residents of big cities, are not among the working class, white men from conservative countries, where Trump's popularity and hatred of the establishment are celebrated; we live among millions of minorities.<\/p>\r\n
Around Greater Borough Park live nearly half a million Muslims, good and quiet people, from Pakistan and India, Bangladesh and Yemen.<\/p>\r\n
Thousands of Mexican, Chinese, and Eastern European immigrants work in our homes and public spaces - and when they, our neighbors, feel threatened, the only way is to feel sympathy for them. Whether out of peaceful means or out of genuine sympathy, a man with his own heart and outlook.<\/p>\r\n
The people who have suffered from hatred must be vigilant against any kind of racism and hatred. If members of minorities see that the ultra-Orthodox public disdains them and their feelings - it will not add points to peace and stability in our cities.<\/p>\r\n
There are plenty of other reasons to elect Clinton and do everything to prevent the presidency from a man whose main platforms were hatred, incitement, and intimidation.<\/p>\r\n
And after all, we must remember: we have no one to lean on, but our Father in Heaven.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 Rabbi Yoel Asher Lavin is the head of the Dror organization.'<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Haredi public and its activists in America have consistently supported the Democratic Party. There were several reasons for this \u2022 But even those who decided to switch to the Republican camp must understand that in the current election, with this leader, their claims are irrelevant \u2022 Rabbi Yoel Asher Lavin explains in a special article why we must vote for Hillary","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[14614,13897,9387,14612,14613,2532],"class_list":["post-322355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-138","tag-14614","tag-13897","tag-9387","tag-14612","tag-14613","tag-2532"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n