In a dramatic and unprecedented decision, the committee overseeing the United Kingdom’s World Zionist Congress elections has disqualified the Eretz HaKodesh chareidi party from participating in the current vote.
The ruling, handed down by the Area Election Committee (AEC) on Monday night, came in response to false accusations that the chareidi party encouraged its supporters to violate election regulations by registering others on their behalf.
The decision bars EHK from competing in the race to select British delegates for the 39th World Zionist Congress.
This marks the first time the party has entered the UK election.
At the center of the controversy is an EHK flyer promoting a north London event that offered help with online registration for the Zionist Congress vote. The flyer included the line: “Husbands can register wives & any children 18+. Please bring their ID.” This message appeared to contradict established rules requiring each voter to individually register and endorse the Jerusalem Program.
Several complaints were submitted to the AEC after the flyer circulated. Eretz HaKodesh later explained that the message had been released in haste before Shabbos, resulting in poor wording, but that obviously no one condoned registering for others.
Despite the clarification, the AEC launched an investigation led by barrister Tim Kendal. Over the course of two days, the inquiry substantiated two of five allegations against EHK. One upheld claim involved an individual who registered and voted for his wife and daughter. The second confirmed that the party had distributed material encouraging others to do the same.
Those in the know have stated the obvious: that this is simply an attempt by the Reform and Conservatives to tamp down on the chareidi party, as Eretz HaKodesh has continued to gain steam, especially after its strong showing in the US elections for the WZO.
An example is this quote: “There wasn’t any chance of it going another way,” said Damon Lenszner, deputy co-chair of the AEC and a member of the Herut UK slate. He added, “According to WZO rules and the election committee’s guidelines, we were left with no choice. They were trying to get people registered without them doing it personally.”
Lenszner said further investigation is underway into suspected broader misuse of proxy voting. “The election committee is also digging into data that suggests an ongoing problem with proxy votes,” he said. “It’s a separate matter, but it’s pretty widespread.”
In a statement to supporters, Eretz HaKodesh vigorously rejected the accusations and expressed confidence the ruling would be overturned. “To the friends and supporters of Eretz HaKodesh, As everyone has seen, the Eretz HaKodesh slate has achieved historic success here in England, with the support of thousands from the Chareidi communities in London, Manchester, and Gateshead. The representatives of the Reform movement and their friends, could not tolerate our success and leveled false accusations and ridiculous claims of forgery and election fraud against us. As we all know, these are childish and baseless lies—slanders that have no foundation, serving only as a pathetic and hypothetical attempt to stop Eretz HaKodesh which represents so many thousands of Jews across all the Diaspora. Following these claims, members of the Federation (who represent the factions that fear Eretz HaKodesh) voted to disqualify the list. We have no doubt that the central election committee will overturn the decision and restore Eretz HaKodesh to the forefront as a prominent and strong representative of the values of Torah and tradition according to our mesorah.”
Should the party appeal, the matter would first go to the Central Election Committee in Yerushalayim. If necessary, it could go to the Zionist Supreme Court, which is already grappling with numerous appeals from other countries.
Lenszner admitted the rarity of such a move: “There is no known precedent for a slate being thrown out of a UK WZO election. If they contest the decision, it will drag on and on,” he said.
Though Britain holds just 19 of the 525 seats in the Zionist Congress, the event plays a significant role in the global Jewish landscape, distributing roughly £750 million annually through its influence over agencies such as the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund.
{Matzav.com}