To my fellow friends,
This is not Daas Torah.
I am writing to explain my decision not to vote for any Democratic Party candidate in the upcoming election. My reasoning is the same as why I also refuse to participate in the so-called “Zionist World Elections,” organized through the World Zionist Congress and its affiliates.
Even though I recognize that participation in either process could, on the surface, bring personal or communal benefits, I cannot in good conscience take part because many of the core principles and policies promoted through both systems contradict Torah values.
Here is why I stand by this choice:
• Faith before convenience
I understand that voting or involvement might help my community gain funding, visibility, or influence. But I believe that any benefit achieved by compromising Torah values is not a true benefit at all. My loyalty to Hashem and to the eternal truths of the Torah must take precedence over any political calculation.
• Misalignment of core values
Both the Democratic Party and the Zionist World institutions promote ideologies and policies that, in my understanding, stand in opposition to Torah teachings—whether regarding moral conduct, the sanctity of family, or the spiritual mission of the Jewish people. Supporting such systems would mean lending legitimacy to values I cannot endorse.
• Integrity and protest
By withholding my vote, I am not withdrawing from responsibility—I am acting out of conviction. Just as I cannot take part in the World Zionist elections because their foundations run contrary to my beliefs, I cannot vote for a party whose platforms similarly diverge from Torah standards. My abstention is an act of faith and protest against systems that no longer reflect holiness or truth.
• Hope for renewal
I do not reject civic engagement altogether—I only reject participating in institutions whose core has drifted away from Divine guidance. I pray for leaders and systems that will once again honor righteousness, humility, and the moral clarity found in Torah values.
In conclusion, while I know my stance may appear impractical or even self-limiting in worldly terms, I believe that true success comes only from fidelity to Torah and not from political compromise. Therefore, I will neither vote for any Democrat nor participate in the Zionist World elections.
Sincerely,
A Torah-observant Jew
TLS welcomes your letters and opinions by submitting them to [email protected]
You clearly never read the words of Rav Moshe Feinstein that in local elections it is a chiyuv to vote. you call yourself “A Torah-observant jew”. That should include listening to your Rabbonim. I am not aware of any Rov who says one should not vote in America.
When did he say he isn’t going to vote? Only said he’s not voting Democrat.
He said he is withholding his vote. Read it again.
Last line, he states he will not vote for any Democrat. He probably needed to do a better job proofreading, before submitting.
The two cannot be any further apart. WZO was founded by, and ran by anti Torah ppl. Avi Schnall has the same values as you do. He’s just listed as a democrat so that he can actually get things done. If he would attempt to introduce bills as a republican in NJ, he may as well stay home.
Facts.
The Democrat party was also founded by anti Torah people.
And the Republican Party was founded by Christians. In other words, the ultimate breakaway from Judaism and its Torah.
Your opinion is irrelevant. You would be better off following the direction of our gedolim.
True.
FYI THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT REB AVIGDOR MILLER WRITES
True, true.
Rabbi Miller ZT”L bemoans the fact that priests in churches are preaching to vote against immorality while the jews are voting for all immorality just to get the money.
You claim to be “a Torah Observant Jew”, Kol HaKavod. But what happened to Mitzva Lishmoa LiDivrei Chachomim?
IDK any Rabbonim in the Greater Lakewood area whom would say not to vote based off your argument.
The Yetzer Hora can be confusing. He wants you to thinkn you’re doing a ‘Mitzvah’ and being a ‘ Torah Observant Jew’ by not voting. While in reality, that doesn’t seem to be the right Cheshbon.
Stay strong and stay honest.
He doesn’t say he isn’t voting. The last line he states clearly, he won’t be voting for any Democrat party politician.
It seems likely to me that this letter was written by a troll who was upset about the local Raabanim boycotting the WZO election.
Wow , you just had to throw Zionism into the mix. Stay home, but does your Torah allow for blogging ?
could not have said it better
Just wait till you find out that republicans don’t share your values either. Shocker. You vote for your communities interest.
Making sure poor people can’t eat or get healthcare and that immigrants get treated terribly doesn’t sound like the Torah way. But those are Republican priorities.
Sheker. The Torah way is o support your people first. Criminal illegals are not our responsibility at all. Healthcare isn’t affordable because of Democrat party policies. Same with food.
Our community interests are better served by trusting Hashem then trusting in murderers. If you actually trusted Hashem, you wouldn’t need government to fund your basic needs. Unless you didn’t daven during Tishrei. Kasveinu Bsefer Parnasah, doesn’t mean stand on line for 5 hours to get welfare.
Why do we say havdalah in the brocha of Atah Chonein? Because it takes Daas to see the difference between Kodesh & Chol (Talmud Yerushami). This letter writer is missing the Daas to see the difference between joining the WZO & voting for Avi Schnall. Please daven harder bt Atah Chonein for more Daas.
If you were a Torah observant Jew you would not vote for a Republican either. You’d probably move to Guatemala. New Yorkers are voting for Cuomo the Democrat over the socialist. Article makes no sense. Also what does anti Zionism have to do with it. The biggest anti Zionism Jews vote Democrat. None of what you say is based on daas Torah. It’s based on what you picked up as a child and heard what rabbis might have said about a certain group 200 years ago and you are applying it to the same group that are so small compared to the originators.
Democrats = Republicans
Liberal Jews and satmar jews vote for the same candidates. Where is the daas Torah in that?
Go figure.
You an’t compare choosing the best of terrible options, verses choosing to vote for a candidate because they offer you Kefira.
I agree to you. I’m just bringing clarity to a poor written article based on one persons opinion that all Democrats are bad. All Republicans are good. All Zionists are bad and all anti Zionists are good. It’s clearly not daas Torah because many anti Zionists would much faster host a Democrat koifer who does and says everything that is against our Torah but would never host a respected rav who happens to be somewhat of a zionist. It’s a backwards world and this article is just as backwards.
How is voting for a Democrat (or the WZO) different than voting for every single democrat in the primaries (Josh Gotheimer)
or previous elections, endorsed by the vaad and many rosh yeshivos? You vote for what works for you, the good you take credit for and the bad is theirs to own. Non of them promote the 7 mitsvos of Noach!
For that matter the WZO should have been a Mitzvah to vote, as every dollar that goes to a Yeshivah is a win, and every dollar that goes to an avirah, is because we did not get enough votes. It’s like voting for a grant, rather than an organization.
My Rov comapred voting for Avi to voting for the WZO, you vote for the good, and reject the bad. With one exception, the WZO will at least provide actual tuition relief (real) to parents
, while we just get talk, like a mussar shmoose, how important it is the millions that are going to important CAUSES, that all the very important people are entitled too, while you work you bum off to pay for that new building.
FYI The majority for WZO negative adds, were not by the anti WZO. frummest among us, they were from the WZO itself, who dont want us to hijack the WZO. The WZO is not a party that governs anything, besides money, and we can use their money, they can call themselves WZO or WPO, BPD, CDL, OCD, OCM etc etc, its only about their money allocations. R’ Chaim endorsed voting for the WZO, in writing.