United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher has expressed concern in closed-door conversations over a possible decline in voter turnout among the haredi public in the upcoming elections, amid the "Draft Law" crisis and internal criticism of the haredi political leadership.
In recordings published Tuesday morning by Kan News, Asher can be heard urging activists to work to bring voters to the polls.
Asher referred to demographic growth within the haredi community over the past four years, which he said should translate into a significant increase in votes for the haredi parties. He warned against a situation in which the growth in the number of eligible voters is not reflected in the election results.
"Anything can happen in these elections, but there is one thing that must not happen," he told activists. "Four years have passed, and in our community that means a significant addition of tens of thousands of votes. If that is not reflected at the ballot box, they will say it is a ‘desecration of G-d’s Name.’"
Recently, there has been criticism within the haredi public due to the haredi parties' failure to pass a law exempting haredi yeshiva students from military service. At the same time, new haredi parties, including Hatzibur Haharedi, are posing an additional challenge to the established parties.
In the recordings, Asher also sought to show activists with what United Torah Judaism had achieved during the current Knesset term. According to him, the party succeeded in blocking a series of bills that would have harmed the Jewish character of the state.
"There are dozens of bills from Yesh Atid and the Labor Party, what is today called the Democrats, that deal with the very essence of how to turn this country into just another country in Europe," he warned.