Happy Election Day!
Some things that have made the news today (either national/international or just "Ellen news"):
Israel does not allow absentee ballots except for embassy personnel. Since this year's election is very important, close to 70,000 expat Israelis flew back at their own expense. Now that's patriotism!
Behind the screen you see:
a plastic contraption holding little papers with 1-3 letters signifying the different political parties.
You pick up one (only one!) of the little papers, put it in your envelpe, seal and put it in the large cardoard box waiting in front of the 5 poll volunteers:
Note that it is possible that, in this day and age, if you do not have a selfie, or at least a photo, from your voting your vote may be disqualified (joking but just barely! And a big mazal tov to Ilana for her first time voting!)
Voter turnout is super high. I'm writing this as the polls are near closing and turnout is being reported as close to 75%, the highest in 50 years. Netanyahu just showed up to our city and is speaking at the mall ten minutes from my house (Israel is weirdly-small sometimes)
Our super close Philly friend Elisha made aliyah 2 weeks ago (YAY!!!!) and he shared this very moving remembrance from Rabbi Moshe Alpert (1895-1955), on what it was like to vote in the first-ever elections here:
"Early in the morning, my wife, my brother-in-law, and I got up... after drinking coffee, we put on Sabbat clothes in honor of this great and holy day, for 'This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' After two thousand years of exile or more, one could say from the six days of Creation until this day, we have not been privileged to see such a day—that we should go to vote for a Jewish state, and 'Blessed is He who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this season.'
My wife, my brother-in-law, and I went to the polling station in Area 10, the Hapoel HaMizrachi house on Habashim Street, holding our State of Israel identity cards... With great and immense joy, we walked the short way from our home. The entire way to the polling station, I walked as if it were Simchat Torah during the Hakafot with a Torah scroll, because the Israeli identity card was in my hand; there was no bound to the happiness and joy I felt...
At 6:02, the voting began. With a tremor of holiness and sacred awe, I handed my identity card to the chairman and entered the second room where all the slips for all the parties were laid out. With a trembling hand and a feeling of sanctity, I took one slip and put it inside the envelope I had received from the chairman. And then came the most sacred moment of my life, a moment that neither my father nor my grandfather was privileged to see. Only I, in my time, in my lifetime, was privileged to reach such a moment of holiness and purity—happy am I, and happy is my lot! I recited the Shehecheyanu blessing and placed the envelope into the ballot box.
At 6:28 we returned home, and I went to pray—a great holiday. On this day, I opened a new page in our lives."
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