06 Nov How the Hasidic Community Votes
So many people assume that Hasidim, like other conservative groups, vote on religious values issues. They assume that Hasidim care about gay marriage and abortion, because that’s a Christian conservative political issue. I often explain the distinction in Ultra Orthodox Jewish attitudes towards politics and that of the Conservative Right. While the conservative right considers the law as a source of moral law and instruction, Hasidim see the Torah as the source of moral law. They also don’t consider those outside of their community their moral concern. So Hasidim vote largely based on the interest of the community.
They vote like a union. Collectively advancing the interest of the whole by voting as one, and supporting candidates seen as favorable to their “union”.
Here are some of the pre-primary election (for Governer of New York and Attorney General of New York) posters in Hasidic Williamsburg in 2018.
This poster urges people to vote for candidates who “understand and respect our rights”.
In the red part it cries “we need to ensure that the government officials don’t give in to their provocations!” This refers to Yaffed and other activist efforts that have been trying to force change in Hasidic boy’s schools through legal action with the city and state.
The poster says “in the current elections some far left candidates are running, and it is expected that they will have less understanding of our religious rights, and there is a terrible danger that they will buy into (not monetarily!) the empty provocations.
Another poster appealing to people on the grounds of preserving Hasidic education. It says “our holy education is under attack by vicious elements. The attorney general candidate “Tish James” promised to fight discrimination and vicious attacks on religion in particular.”
Again – it’s about defending Hasidic education status quo. “The future of Orthodox Judaism is on the line! Every registered democrat in the entirety of New Yor State is asked, for the good of the public and the individual, to vote in the primary elections this Thursday for Letitia (Tish) James.
This is from the newspaper and it lists the following reasons to vote for Tish James: “from parks to the eruv (wire to allow for carrying on Shabbes.) From education to building yeshivas. From businesses to social services, there are hateful elements on the street (within the population?) and in the government who aim their hate against pious Jews. An Attorney General has the choice to god-forbid join the hate, or to defend the rights of the local people and to treat with empathy in judgement when someone messes up with the law.” (Gay/abortion/Israel issues much? Ha!)
“investigations! Abloves (??), arrests!” I have no idea what abloves means; I sometimes wonder if some standard Yiddish speaker wrote these because I’ll often have to ask German speakers to translate some words for me, like “tzil bret” in this one, which I didn’t know was a shooting target.
This for Simcha Felder, another warning about the far left’s lack of religious understanding. “if you stay home, you elect left-liberals” The poster warns that this can mean no door to door transportation (for the kids, to school – Williamsburg is known to be a hub of school buses), no millions in funding for the community, danger to the traditional education.
Another ad for Simcha Felder, thanking him for helping the community, especially with the breakthrough of the “school bus transportation program”. The program helps substantially with the safety of our children, and helps with the high transportation costs of the parents.”
In other words, you can see why people would want to vote in the bloc. Hasidic voters benefit personally from their candidates.
Here is my own opinion on this:
As someone on the very far left of much of American politics (shutter!) I find myself sympathetic to many of the issues covered here, like not prosecuting people for petty crimes and turning them into poster children of “justice” (I abhor this type of “justice”, often for the poor) and I think funding should go for social fabric programs like little children’s educations. The lessons for me is that people vote in their own best interest, if only the candidates actually serve their interests. Hasidim’s candidates often do.
Sina Dener
Posted at 22:14h, 12 OctoberDear Frieda,
I very much like and appreciate your site / blog – it is very informative; I have learned a lot about Hasidism, especially the Satmar Hasidim, whom I consider particularly interesting and fascinating.
I have several additional questions:
1. What do Satmar and other Hasidic groups think about issues like abortion, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, and same-sex marriage? Are all of them completely opposed to it, or are there different views?
2. What is your personal opinion on YAFFED, and its efforts to introduce more secular studies in Hasidic boy schools?
3. Is there a large Satmar community in Jerusalem? If yes, in which neighborhoods do most of them live? Mea Shearim, maybe?
4. Which other Hasidic groups have a significant number of followers in Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel? Are all Hasidic groups residing in Williamsburg anti-Zionist?
Thank you very much, and keep up the good work you do!