Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has issued a special halakhic (pertaining to Jewish law - ed.) ruling intended for Israeli citizens currently abroad.
According to the ruling, ma'aser (tithe) funds - generally set aside for charity and assisting those in need - may be used to purchase airline tickets to Israel in order to vote for Shas.
In a video circulated on social media, Rabbi Yosef called on voters to support the party, which represents the Sephardic-haredi public, describing voting for Shas as "a great mitzvah (Torah commandment) and a sacred obligation."
"Those staying abroad are permitted, from the outset, to purchase an airline ticket using ma'aser funds in order to come to Israel and vote for the Shas movement," Rabbi Yosef said, as part of efforts to increase turnout among the party's supporters outside Israel.
Shas is not the only party trying to encourage voters abroad to cast their ballots: Last month, Journalist Kalman Liebskind addressed the leftist secular "Fly&Vote" initiative, which, according to reports cited in his column, aims to help tens of thousands of eligible Israeli voters living abroad travel to Israel to cast their ballots.
He stressed that his argument is not about the legality of voting, but rather about whether people who no longer live in Israel and do not regularly bear the consequences of government decisions should take part in determining the country's leadership.