Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, a leading figure in Israel's Religious Zionist community, addressed a question Tuesday evening about whether Jewish law permits voting for a political party that includes a non-Jewish candidate in a senior position on its list.
The question arose in the context of the "Amcha Yisrael" party, led by retired Colonel Ofer Winter, which has placed Yosef Haddad, an Israeli advocacy activist from an Arab Christian family, in the second spot on its slate. During a lesson with his students, Rabbi Aviner was asked whether it is permissible under Jewish law to vote for such a party. His response was unequivocal: "Certainly not."
The rabbi distinguished between personal treatment of non-Jews and the question of appointing them to positions of national leadership. "A non-Jewish friend should be treated well," he explained. "If he meets the definition of a ger toshav [resident alien] --- still, he cannot be given leadership roles over the nation."
When a student pressed further, asking whether the prohibition applies even to someone considered a "Righteous Among the Nations", a term for non-Jews who have acted heroically on behalf of Jews, Rabbi Aviner's answer remained firm: "Even a Righteous Among the Nations cannot be a leader in the Land of Israel."
