מאמר הדור | תחנון ספרדי בישיבה | מפלגה עם גוי | סליחה לפני ר"ה | פוליטיקה בשולחן שבת- הרב

Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, president of the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva, was asked whether, according to Jewish law, it is permissible to vote for the party of Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, in which a non-Jewish candidate, Yoseph Haddad, is ranked second on the list. He responded that it is “certainly not," explaining that a distinction must be made between one’s personal relationship with a non-Jew and the possibility of appointing him to a position of leadership.

According to Rabbi Aviner, “Certainly, a non-Jewish friend should be treated well if he meets the definition of a resident alien [ger toshav], but he cannot be given positions of leadership over the nation."

Rabbi Aviner referred to Maimonides’ Laws of Kings on the matter and added that even someone defined as a “righteous gentile" cannot be a leader in the Land of Israel. However, he clarified that this does not deny such a person’s status as a citizen, saying, “He can be a private citizen, yes, but not as a leader."

It should be noted that the person asking the question said that the party had a non-Jewish candidate in second place, referring to Yoseph Haddad, who holds that position on Ofer Winter’s list, but did not explicitly mention Haddad by name.