JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Dov Landau, the senior Lithuanian haredi leader, has urged shochatim (kosher slaughterers) planning to travel abroad for work to postpone their trips until after Israel’s upcoming elections, stressing that every vote is important for the Jewish people.

The issue was brought before Rabbi Landau by Rabbi Rafael Manat, rabbi of the Osem-Nestlé food conglomerate, head of the institutions in Zichron Yaakov and a close aide to the rosh yeshiva.

According to a report by Kikar HaShabbat, kosher slaughterers working for various kashrut organizations are scheduled to travel overseas approximately a week to ten days after Sukkot to supervise the slaughter of meat for the Jewish market. While those traveling to relatively nearby destinations, such as Poland, are expected to be able to return to Israel in time to vote, those assigned to distant countries, particularly in South America, could face journeys of several days and may be unable to return for Election Day.

Rabbi Manat asked Rabbi Landau whether the slaughterers should delay their trips until after the elections, despite the resulting financial losses for the workers and their teams. “Elections are a greater public need,” Rabbi Landau responded. When Rabbi Manat asked whether the slaughterers should therefore wait, the rosh yeshiva reiterated that the elections serve the needs of the Jewish people.

“Every vote, every single vote, is very, very important for the Jewish people,” he said.
Rabbi Manat explained that postponing the trips would have financial consequences. Teams that travel at the beginning of the winter season may be able to make three overseas trips, whereas those who wait until after the elections might manage only two, reducing their income.

Rabbi Landau acknowledged the additional consideration but returned to the importance of voting, asking whether the slaughterers expected him to advise them to miss the elections.

Rabbi Manat then asked the rosh yeshiva to bless the workers for the financial sacrifice they would be making by delaying their travel. Rabbi Landau responded with a blessing, saying: “May Hashem help them and grant them double and even greater blessings, satisfaction, long life, and all good things.”

The exchange highlights the emphasis Rabbi Landau places on participation in the upcoming elections, which he described as a matter of significant importance to the Jewish people. His response also reflects the view that the responsibility to vote may take precedence over professional and financial considerations, even for workers whose livelihoods depend on overseas assignments.