Israel Religious Action Center - IRAC

This week Orly writes about IRAC's efforts to protect democracy by protecting voting writes. Read it all here. Subscribe to the Newsletter. Support IRAC. Learn more.

Last week, the Knesset finally adjourned after completing its entire four-year term—an increasingly rare occurrence in Israeli politics. And what a terrible term it has been.

In its final week alone, the Knesset passed a series of dangerous laws that will have far-reaching consequences for Israeli democracy and equality. They include the Basic Law: Torah Study, which declares Torah study as a fundamental value with the clear intent of placing it above other values, such as equality; legislation eliminating criminal sanctions for draft evasion by yeshiva students; rolling back kosher certification reform and reinstating the State Rabbinate's monopoly; expanding gender segregation in academia; dismantling the institution of the Attorney General and increasing political control over the media. We are working to oppose these laws, some through Supreme Court petitions challenging their constitutionality, and some through planning to pressure the next government to repeal them.

Last week also brought another important development: the date of Israel's next election was officially set for October 27. These will be the most consequential elections in Israel's history, determining the direction the country will take in the years ahead.

Historically, we never had voting rights issues in Israel. But now, for the first time, there is a real concern about the integrity of the electoral process. We are deeply worried about attempts to undermine the right to vote through violence, disinformation, and efforts to interfere with the voting process. In fact, the government isn't even trying to hide its intentions. In a recent move, it is trying to limit voting in senior living communities, as older voters tend to be more liberal.

To help safeguard free and fair elections, we are now working to recruit hundreds of volunteers from Reform congregations across Israel and through our Reform Network (which allows liberal Israelis to affiliate with the movement without joining a local synagogue). Our training will prepare them to serve as observers at polling stations on Election Day to help ensure that the law is upheld and that every vote is protected.

But there is one community whose right to vote has been compromised for many years: residents of the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev.

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https://mailchi.mp/irac.org/protecting-the-ballot-protecting-democracy