Lithuanian-haredi leader Rabbi Dov Lando sharply attacked those encouraging haredim to boycott the upcoming Knesset elections as an act of protest or for anti-Zionist ideological reasons.
Responding to the initiatives and voices on the fringes of the haredi community, he urged the community to go to the polls on election day, in order to protect the community's interests.
On Tuesday, during a closed meeting with members of the Degel HaTorah faction in Bnei Brak, Rabbi Lando addressed the growing phenomenon and expressed an unequivocal position in favor of active participation in the elections, for the purpose of safeguarding the interests of the haredi public.
"Woe to anyone who incites people not to go to the elections, woe to him - and I do not want to continue," Rabbi Lando told those present emphatically, adding that anyone promoting such a position is acting out of "either wickedness or stupidity."
Rabbi Lando’s remarks reflect the position of the mainstream Lithuanian Haredi leadership, which views participation in elections as a critical and central tool for protecting funding for the community’s educational institutions and public services.