Rav Hirsch: voting elsewhere "forbidden"

He went on to warn of a deliberate campaign to harm the chareidi public and its educational institutions: "There is a special intention in every area to bring down the chareidim, they are trying to destroy Chinuch Atzmai, to destroy chadarim, and also the seminaries. Their intention is that there will be no more chareidim in Eretz Yisrael, because they are thinking what will be here in twenty years. If chas v'shalom they receive the leadership, they will cause it to be impossible for us to live here in every detail."

The rosh yeshiva explained that the current situation borders on pikuach nefesh on a spiritual and heavenly plane: "We say all the time that it is nissim v'niflaos that we are here, especially today when the entire world is against us. That we are here is truly very great siyata d'Shmaya. If Hashem chas v'shalom withdraws from us and does not give us the siyata d'Shmaya, that is the pikuach nefesh of now, pikuach nefesh literally."

According to him, the public's obligation is to demonstrate devotion to the preservation of Torah: "If Hashem sees that we are not interested in doing what we can in order to maintain the Torah as it should be, then Hashem will say, 'If you do not want Me, then I do not want you.' We need to show Hashem that we want with all our strength to hold on to chareidi life here in Eretz Yisrael."

At the close of his remarks, the rosh yeshiva issued a firm call against abstaining from voting or supporting other parties out of feelings of frustration: "All those who are complaining, it is forbidden, forbidden, forbidden to go anywhere and vote for someone else. Forbidden, forbidden, forbidden! Every yeshiva bochur, every chareidi man and every religious man must vote specifically for Degel HaTorah, who are the ones who raise up the world of Torah and come to increase kiddush Hashem."

The rosh yeshiva concluded his remarks by stating that thoughts and frustrations are not relevant in light of the gravity of the hour, and that only through unity and support for Degel HaTorah will the public merit siyata d'Shmaya and kavod Shamayim.