It was Election Day in Israel. A heated election campaign
was going on between two Torah parties. For weeks prior to
elections, supporters of each party wined and dined any
potential voter they could get a hold of, and in every
conceivable way tried to get the promise of votes that would
put their party into the legislature of Israel -- the
Knesset.
The streets were full of posters, the gutters were white
with all the propaganda sheets showering down from
helicopters. On every street corner, young people pushed
flyers into passerby's hands. Cars with loudspeakers passed
to and fro all hours of the day and night, urging people to
vote for their party, promising great things that their
party would deliver as soon as they got into office. For
weeks, the only subject discussed was elections, and the
discussions were often heated enough to warrant
intervention.
In the Home also, hectic preparations were underway for
Election Day. But there was never any doubt as to who would
get the old people's vote. The Vizhnitzer Rebbe, together
with many other chassidic leaders, supported the Agudah
ticket. Representatives from the Agudah party were invited
to spend time with those members of the Vizhniter Old Age
Home who were still undecided as to how to vote, and try to
convince each one to give his vote to Agudas Yisroel. It was
hard work. Most of the old people didn't hear too well and
the Agudah people had to yell till they were hoarse. Some of
the people were forgetful, others already senile and just
blinked and smiled -- pleased with the attention -- and
agreed with everything they were told, despite not having
the slightest idea what it was all about.
Pa was exempt from all the activity that was going on. His
Identification Card, the Teudat Zehut, without which
no one could vote, could not be found. Ordinarily, the Home
kept all the legal, medical and identification papers of all
of their residents locked in the office safe. They couldn't
figure out where Pa's certificate could be. They didn't have
it. We didn't have it. Without it, Pa could not vote.
Ever since Pa had run away from military service in Russia-
Poland and had become, first a citizen of Canada and later,
an American citizen, Pa had always been a conscientious
citizen, complying with all the country's rules and
regulations. Despite his advanced age when he came to
America, Pa had seriously studied all the material necessary
to become an American citizen and had gone to the polls on
each election day to give his vote to the candidate that the
Jewish community hoped would lean towards Jewish
interests.
So, when Freidy's husband, who uncharacteristically left his
bench of Torah study to solicit votes for Eitz, the party
that Maran Harav Shach personally endorsed [which would
subsequently become Degel HaTorah], heard that Pa would be
unable to vote, he figured that all was not lost; something
could still be done to salvage this vote.
Yitzchok Duvid put Pa in his wheelchair and wheeled him over
to Dr. B. The doctor asked Pa a few questions and then
issued a statement verifying that Menachem Mendel
Rosengarten, age ninety-eight, was alive and in his right
mind, and that a new Identification Card should be issued to
him, despite his being unable to present himself personally
due to his physical limitations. The doctor stamped the
statement and Yitzchok Duvid paid him his fee.
Freidy's husband wheeled Pa back to the Home and hurried on
alone to the Ministry of the Interior, clutching in his hand
the doctor's precious verification and request for another
Identification Card for Menachem Mendel Rosengarten, before
they closed for the day.
By then, Yitchok Duvid was huffing and puffing. It had been
a mad undertaking for him to get Pa to the doctor, pushing
him in his wheelchair over the cracked Bnei Brak pavement,
sand and pebbles in the road, without bumping Pa up and
down. And time was of the essence because the doctor kept
strict office hours and if Yitzchok Duvid came late, he'd
have missed him.
As soon as the Ministry of Interior handed him the new
Identification Card that they had issued for Pa, Yitzchok
Duvid sped back to the Home. Now he would take Pa for
another ride in the wheelchair, all the while praying that
they'd get there before the polls closed.
"Vee geit men yezt?" Pa asked between the bumps in
the road.
"I'm taking you to vote."
"Far vemen?" Pa asked, turning in his wheelchair to
read Yitzchok Duvid's lips when he answered.
Now this was not an easy question for Yitchok Duvid to
answer. The only reason he had gone to all the trouble was
to get Pa's vote for Etz. After all his hard work, he had no
intention of letting Pa vote for any other party. On the
other hand, Yitzchok Duvid is an honest young man and felt,
in all fairness, that Pa should understand the differences
between the parties. Trying to be as objective as possible,
he dutifully explained to Pa what each party represented.
Pa understood, and was also still alert enough to figure out
which party Yitzchok Duvid favored.
"Nu, vus ken zein shlecht mit a Torah partai?" he
asked. "A party that represented Torah sounds fine. While
most chassidim will vote for Agudah, I see nothing
wrong in giving a new party a chance..."
They finally reached the polls. There were crowds, and
policemen to see that nothing got out of hand. When Yitzchok
Duvid came panting, pushing Pa in his wheelchair, everyone
gaped and quickly moved aside. Yitzchok Duvid showed Pa what
to do and wheeled him behind a curtain to cast his vote.
Then he let out a long sigh. He had done his share for the
Torah Party. He had gained them a vote!
But his joy was short-lived. News travels fast in Bnei Brak
and by the time Yitzchok Duvid brought Pa back to the Home,
the house-mother was standing on the outside steps, hands on
hips, face aflame, waiting to greet them.
"That's some chutzpa!" she spat out. "To steal one of our
people to vote for another party! This Home is Vizhnitz.
Vizhnitz is Agudah! What right did you have to give his vote
to Etz?"
"I worked hard for Zeidy's vote," he replied unruffled. "Had
your people worked as hard, they could have had this vote
first. I took nothing away from you. As far as you were
concerned, Zeidy couldn't vote."
Pa kept turning from her to his grandson-in-law. "What's the
argument all about?" he finally asked, seeing how furious
the house-mother was. By that time, most of the family had
come over. They'd been looking for Pa most of the day and
whenever they came, he hadn't been around. Not in his room,
the shul or the beis midrash. They had begun
worrying when they saw Yitzchok Duvid pushing Pa in his
wheelchair on their way back home from an adventurous
day.
By then, Rivky had caught on.
"Nu, Zeidy," she said, all smiles. "Abee di zugst
as di bist gurnisht vert. You're always complaining that
you're not worth anything these days. But now you see it's
not true! You're still worth a vote on Election Day! Just
see how all the parties are fighting over you!"
