Channels

'Secular people also come to the mikveh.' Rabbi Yosef
Photo: Eli Elgarat

Rabbi Ovadia: Kadima voters going to hell

After promising paradise to Shas voters, party’s spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef continues dealing with the afterlife, tells haredi weekly ‘he who votes Kadima goes backwards, to hell.’ Rabbi also proud of Shas' achievement in outgoing government: ‘We built mikvehs with beautiful tiles that even Achashverosh didn't have’

Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said in an interview to the haredi weekly magazine Bakehila that “he who votes Kadima goes backwards, to hell."

 

The rabbi referred in his interview to Shas' demands from the coalition and to the issue of whether the party will resume its demand for children's subsidies, saying that "Shas is for Torah and charity. There are poor people with no food for Shabbat; we must bolster the government so that we have the power to give to the needy. I will not allow our representatives to go back to the government until they bring back children subsidies."

 

'We want more and more'

 

Speaking on the subject of the electoral capability of Shas among the haredi communities the rabbi said he believes that Sephardic yeshiva students will vote for the party even if they study in an Ashkenazi yeshiva.

 

"The public isn't indifferent; there is much enthusiasm", he said.

 

Yosef also talked about the last elections, telling the story of when he called on the haredi public to vote for Shas but people didn't listen to him, claiming he was overdoing it.

 

“As a result the prime minister made an alliance with Shinui and dropped the religious parties; cancelled budgets for yeshivas and cut back on countless spiritual things. We believed in (Ariel) Sharon at that time; they said it was good to have a strong Likud. What happened? An Alliance with Shinui - evil Torah-haters," he said.

 

The rabbi stressed that when he formed Shas he didn't do it for the sake of gaining political power but for spreading the Torah among the Israeli people.

 

Yosef didn't shy away from post-elections demands, saying "a little is not enough for us. We want more and more – not only Torah but also good deeds. Four years ago we managed to get a big budget, build 138 mikvehs and renovate another 156 around the country. We installed beautiful tiles; even Achashverosh’s floor wasn't that nice.

 

“Today, secular people also come to the mikveh", he said.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.24.06, 11:25
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment