By COLlive reporter
The road to the Knesset goes through the United States and Australia.
According to campaign finance disclosure data, the right-wing political party Jewish Home (“HaBayit HaYehudi”) has benefited from the generosity of a few Chabad-connected tycoons.
Minister of the Economy and star of religious Zionists Naftali Bennett has received a donation of $10,971 to his reelection campaign from the media shy George Rohr, the New York businessman and philanthropist.
Rohr, a member of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, a Modern Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is widely known for funding the expansion of Chabad on college campuses and in the former Soviet Union, among other causes.
Another donation Bennett secured was $9,859 from Louis Mayberg, president of ProFunds (ProShares), a prominent mutual fund company based in the Washington, DC area and a supporter of American Friends of Lubavitch.
As reported on COLlive.com last month, Bennett was the guest of Shliach Rabbi Levi Shemtov at a Jewish Young Professionals Shabbos dinner at Chabad in Washington, DC., where he told of his first connection with Rohr.
Bennett’s secular ally in the religious party Ayelet Shaked has reported a $2,837 donation from none other than Rabbi Joseph Gutnick, the Lubavitcher mining industry entrepreneur who spends his time between Melbourne and Singapore.
Gutnick’s past foray into Israeli politics was bankrolling the last-minute crucial campaign “Netanyahu is good for the Jews” which secured Benjamin Netanyahu‘s first term as Prime Minister in 1996.
But while Gutnick didn’t give any donations to Bibi this time around, Netanyahu was the recipient of other frum money: $11,196 from Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, owner of TwinMed and Brius Healthcare Services and a known versatile philanthropist.
His uncle Bobby Rechnitz is the leader of the western division of the American Friends of Likud and a longtime personal friend and supporter of Netanyahu, according to Matzav.com.
But Shlomo Rechnitz said his motive was to encourage Netanyahu “to add the chareidim in the next government, thereby bringing back the money to the yeshivos and avreichim.”
Gutnick is also planning to make some rounds to try to influence agenda. Yossi Elituv, Editor of Mishpacha Magazine, tweeted Thursday that Gutnick “came to Israel to help strengthen the right-wing bloc and prevent loss of votes. Next week he will start a series of meetings on the subject.”
Does anyone have the email address for Mr Shlomo Rechnitz? Thanks!
Wow I could afford to donate $3k to bayit yehudi! And I am no gvir! Maybe tomorrow’s donor article will be about me!
Go bennet go
Won’t get very far. Quite insignificant if you ask me. The road to the knesset is NOT going through Australia
SAFTEY FOR ALL THE JEWS , everything else is secondary
I am going to as many parlor meetings (bayit chug) as possible – this week, Bayit Yehudi & Yesh Atid. I’m waiting to hear Naftoli Bennett personally but let me tell you….they are just as slick as US politicians, maybe more so. Having said that, I will probably vote Likud (holding my nose) or Bayit Yehudi, because right now my major concern is security. I am very interested in hearing more about Yeshai’s party & Shas is a corrupt disaster. Feiglin is a waste of a vote, he is over, as is Yesh Atid – they will get seats but… Read more »
landscape in Israel will come from MOshe Feiglin, who wants to end the disaster that is Oslo and be done with all the 2 state R”L talk. We also have no authority on the Har habayis and we need to rstore order there and restore the respect of the arabs to the jewish poeple that we had 30-40 years ago but we dont have now.
His war on frum Jews is insane (along with Lapid he’s the one who spent most of his time in government trying to force limudei chol and arresting Chabad bochurim). His attack on an American ambassador is just about the worst move any Israeli representative on any side has ever made and he should be scorned by all sides for many reasons.
CSSV needs funds as well as other local mosdos
I doubt Yishai or Ben Ari will have any strength at all even if they do make it in by some miracle
The leverage Bennett had and is poised to have as one of the largest parties in Israel is way greater on all levels. You’d rather help him than waste time with the questionable others – no matter how friendly they might be.
i believe the limit in israel is under $12,000
I don’t tell donors what to do with their money, and its important to have connections with all political parties (probably their goal here). However its clear that Lubavitchers should be pushing for Eli Yishai and Michael Ben Ari to join forces and then support them and help them be the surprise of the election.
Bennett will only stay true to the right if he has a more righty party pushing him. A Yishai – Ben Ari ticket getting into the Knesset will have positive ramifications above their electoral strength.
if someone is not good for the Jews, it’s the Ben Ari nut who is wasting votes by disposable parties….
$10k – wow – I spend more on pesach………..
Bennett has caused huge problems for Chabad mosdos in Israel… folks, please support Ben-Ari, or if he’s not your cup of tea, Feglin or even Yishai. Bennett is not good for the Jews!
You do amazing work, we’re all very proud of you.
A politician is only allowed to receive 11,000 dollars from an individual for campaigning sponsorship.
Wonderful
Is there a limit to receiving political funding in Israel? The amounts seem to be low!