Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, founder and Dean of Yeshivat Har Brachah in the Samaria (Shomron) community of the same name, is the author of a series of books on Jewish Law and thought, as well as a weekly column in B'Sheva. Here, he relates to the question of Israeli Jews voting in American elections.
Question:
We are immigrants to Israel from America. Should we make an effort to participate in the upcoming elections for the U.S. Senate and Congress if we want to strengthen candidates who oppose the policies of President Barak Obama? Is it ethical for us, who live in Israel, to vote according to the interests of Israel, when the elections mainly concern those living in America?
Rabbi Melamed's answer:
In practice, U.S. citizens throughout the world execute their right to vote according to their personal interests. Why, then, should the rights of Jews who immigrated to Israel be any different? It is well known that the Jews made great contributions in the fields of the arts, science, economy, and defense of America, and many U.S. immigrants to Israel still pay taxes on assets they possess there. Why should their rights be less than any other person holding U.S. citizenship?
America and Israel
Beyond this, as believers in G-d, we are sure that the support which America granted the Jewish exiles and the State of Israel is one of the significant accomplishments of that great country. As in the times of Cyrus, about whom it is written (Isaiah 44:28): "He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure: and saying to Jerusalem, You shall be rebuilt; and to the Temple, your foundation shall be laid," so too, a number of outstanding Americans assisted the Jewish nation to return to its land and fulfill the vision of the Prophets – to plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria, to return sons to their borders, to build the desolate cities, and to fill them with “flocks of people.” And as it is written (Genesis 27:28): "Those who curse you are cursed, and those who bless you are blessed", America was blessed by helping the Jewish nation.
An Afro-American President: Tears of Excitement
When Barak Obama was elected President, I, along with many others, felt a spirit of rejoicing. Behold, in the country that, at its very beginning, enslaved Africans as servants against their will, an Afro-American, married to a woman descended from slaves, was voted by the majority of citizens of the world's most powerful country to its most esteemed office. I had tears in my eyes when I saw a picture of Afro-Americans standing upright on both sides of the avenue leading to the White House, gazing with pride at the new President, Barack Obama, as he went into the famous office.
What a wonderful victory for the spirit of a man who overcame all the obstacles in his path. Undeniably, friends warned: "This is a man who is hostile to the State of Israel." Nevertheless, there was hope that a man like him would also understand the Jewish nation, which granted the world the message of freedom and the foundations of morality, and concur that after 2,000 years of exile and suffering, it is fitting for the world to help the Jewish nation return to its land, as the word of G-d heard through the Prophets.
Regrettably, it has become clear that he is perhaps the most hostile U.S. President that Israel has ever faced.
Though the splendid idea remains, and the dream has not faded, its implementation by Barack Obama is a unacceptable.
"They Have Raised Their Hand against Jerusalem and the Land of Israel"
Instead of assisting the Jewish nation to build the Land of Israel, he began pressuring to freeze construction in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. The Prophet said (Zechariah 12): "The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The saying of the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him; Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the peoples round about" -- that is, anyone who passes the threshold of Jerusalem in order to harm her, will be punished. "And on that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples: all that burden themselves with it (attempt to transfer her to another nation) shall be grievously hurt... On that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem… and it shall come to pass on that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."
And Zachariah continues (14): "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations who came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And whoever does not come up of all the families of the earth to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, upon them shall be no rain (economic blessing)…"
And lo and behold, precisely on the holiday of Sukkot, when the freeze on construction ended, instead of encouraging the Government of Israel to stop being negligent in building Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, Obama and his team of ministers and advisors pressured it to continue the freeze on building in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. What punishment will this bring on his country?
Responsibility
It is fitting for every American citizen who believes in G-d and His Prophets to vote for true friends of Israel, for people who believe that the entire Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish nation, as G-d promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – no matter what party they represent. And if there is no friend of Israel in that state, then one should vote for the candidate who will best hinder Barak Obama from exerting pressure on Israel.