In light of the push by the haredi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party to enlist voters, a groom, dressed in the traditional Hassidic wedding garb, was seen casting his vote in the southern city of Ashdod on Tuesday, moments before his wedding ceremony.
Another group of haredim that came to cast their votes, despite the inconvenience, were those haredi Israelis who live overseas who flew back, especially so they can follow their rabbis' instructions. Among many haredim, the act of voting for the party that the rabbis say to vote for is seen as a "mitzvah".
One of the Hasidim who came to Israel especially to cast his vote is Mordechai Ze'ev Shwemfeld, an Antwerp resident in his sixties, who is an affluent figure in the Belz Hassidic sect.
"The second that I heard my Rabbi, the Belz Grand Rabbi's call to come to vote, and I understood that it's important to come to Israel to vote and strengthen UTJ, I closed my business for a few days and came to Israel to fulfill the rabbi's will," Shwemfeld told Israel National News.
He says that he hasn't been in Israel for an election cycle in 38 years. "I know that the situation for haredi Jews is tough in Isreal, spiritually and physically, and we need to strengthen things. On the other hand, there is still a lot of indifference, even in the haredi community and I understand how important it is to come as a reinforcement.