Rabbi Dov Lando, the leader of the Lithuanian chareidi public, lashed out in unusually harsh terms against the new Tzeva Shachor ("Black Color") party a day before the election, telling a former candidate that those behind it face eternal punishment.
According to Kikar HaShabbat, the remarks came during a visit by the head of the Toras Yissachar kollel, who had been placed third on Tzeva Shachor's list to represent Sephardi yeshiva students before withdrawing from the race. "I say they have a Gehinnom waiting for them, a Gehinnom above all," Rabbi Lando said. Kikar reported that he added: "They want to cause damage. They receive money from the left."
According to Emess, Rabbi Lando told his visitor: "You can say in my name, Gehinnom is prepared for them to the end." Emess noted that based on the quote as relayed, it is not possible to determine with certainty whom Rabbi Lando was referring to.
The candidate withdrew from Tzeva Shachor last Friday at the request of Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, the former Sephardi chief rabbi, who met with him and persuaded him to leave the list.
Rabbi Lando has repeatedly attacked the two new chareidi parties running in the election, Tzeva Shachor and Moti Leitner's HaTzibur HaChareidi. Both are polling below the electoral threshold. In a speech last week, he said their whole purpose is to waste votes, and that "these parties contain nothing but lies, lies and lies." He accused one side of falsely claiming to look out for working chareidim, and the other of hiding behind "false zealotry" while pretending to save yeshiva students from the draft.
Tzeva Shachor, headed by Rabbi Eliezer Baumrind, has made opposition to the arrest of yeshiva students and to any draft compromise the center of its campaign.
