Ofer Winter slams rabbi who said it was against Jewish law to vote for party with Arab-Israeli

Ofer Winter answered Rabbi Shlomo Aviner’s religious objection with memories of fighting under commanders who were Druze, Bedouin and Christian. The chairman of the People of Israel Party said those soldiers had been trusted in battle and were worthy of leading the country.

Aviner, president of the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva, had been asked whether Jewish law allowed voters to support a party whose second-ranked Knesset candidate was not Jewish. “Certainly not,” he replied, distinguishing between treating a non-Jewish person well and appointing one to a position of national leadership.

“

When I fought under fire in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, I served under and personally commanded leaders, commanders and soldiers, who were Druze, Bedouin, and Christian.

Aviner cited Maimonides’s Laws of Kings and said that even someone regarded as one of the “righteous among the nations” could be a private citizen but not a leader in the Land of Israel. He referred to the religious concept of a ger toshav, a non-Jewish resident who does not convert but observes the Seven Laws of Noah.

Winter strongly rejected that position. He recalled serving and personally commanding Druze, Bedouin and Christian leaders and soldiers in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank. He specifically named Imad Fares, whom he followed into battle with complete trust.

“When I fought under fire in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, I served under and personally commanded leaders, commanders and soldiers, who were Druze, Bedouin, and Christian,” Winter said. “They were worthy enough to be wounded and even fall for the country. They were worthy enough for us to follow them into battle, and they are worthy enough to lead.”

“

They were worthy enough to be wounded and even fall for the country. They were worthy enough for us to follow them into battle, and they are worthy enough to lead.

Winter addressed Haddad directly, calling him his brother and praising his service in the Golani Brigade, his battlefield injury and his continuing public advocacy for Israel. Haddad became the party’s second candidate at its launch the previous week. He has said that entering politics continues his military service and public diplomacy work, and that he hopes to become Israel’s public diplomacy minister and the first Arab member of the security cabinet.

The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization also rejected Aviner’s halachic interpretation, saying leading authorities had already ruled that Jews may vote for non-Jewish candidates for the Knesset.

“

Certainly not.