By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Yosef Braun, member of the Crown Heights Beis Din, announced a halachic ruling that members of Jewish community are permitted to cast their vote on Tuesday, November 3rd, inside a local church.
Jewish law (mentioned by the Rambam in his commentary on Mishnah Avodah Zarah Chapter One) forbids a Jew from entering a house of idol worship, which is what a church is considered.
In a short reply on the website asktherav.com, Rabbi Braun wrote: “One may enter a church to vote, provided it is not in the sanctuary, but rather they specifically set up a room for this purpose, e.g. the basement or a different room, since everyone knows that you are there to vote and not for anything else.”
One polling site for Crown Heights and East Flatbush is located inside the “God’s Battalion Church” at 661 Linden Boulevard.
The voting does take place in the community room in the basement, not the sanctuary, COLlive has learned.
Rabbi Braun said his ruling is based on the halachic opinions of Rabbi Moishe Sternbuch, Ra’avad of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem (Teshuvos V’hanhugos 2:410) and Rabbi Yochanan Wosner, the Skevere Dayan of Montreal (Chayei Halevi 4:63).
He added that his permission “is only permitted if one has no other place to vote” and that “if the location can be changed, it must be changed.”
As reported on COLlive.com, Jewish community activists have been working with the New York Board of Elections to have the location changed in future dates.
To check your location for early voting and election day voting, visit https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc
ok thank you for the update
I believe Rabbi Hendel permitted this for one of the municipal elections in Montreal.
When were elections held in a church here? It’s usually a school, community center or rented office in a mall or hotel.
It was a municipal election. I don’t remember the year but we were voting for Saulie Zajdel. I remember going to the basement of a church on Cote des Neiges.
Maybe way before my time. As long as I’m voting here, the furthest we’ve had to go was Ruby Foo’s or Decarie Square. CDN is a bit out of the way (unless you live up there…)
if u were from here, u would know
*centre!
This is an old question with many teshuvos (more than are cited) which permit it…
You can vote in the early voting location from now until November 1st, so there is another place to vote, and you could do an absentee ballot.
So it seems like the conclusion would be you could only vote there if you didn’t realize and found yourself November 2nd wondering where to vote.
they say early voting may not be accurate, your ballot may be discarded. So if you want your voice to be heard, voting on the day itself is better.
This isnt a landmark ruling. It’s a ruling based on lots of precedent including from chabad rabbanim.
Even in this particular polling place, there have been people that individually asked rabbanim and were told it’s ok.
A true Rov
The Heter works only if you Vote for Donald J Trump
You have such a hatered for trump.
The heter is even if you vote for biden!
Put it this way most biden supporters in the jewish community will go anyway,3/4 of biden supporters will go without a heter.
Trump supporters,the real chassidish supporters will not go without a heter.
Some will not go even with a heter
Said well
So are you going to say tachanun if Trump is is declared the winner and hatov vahameitiv or if Biden wins, are you going to fast and say the bracha for bad news?
To all those who have real jobs but still want to vote…
Early voting hours is now from 7am-5pm on Friday, and 7am-4pm on Sunday. Go vote!
Real Jobs give election day off.
By law, you are entitled up to 2 hours paid to be able to go out and vote.
I have a real job and I can just go vote in the middle of the day because I’m cool like that, really
The lines are actually at least 3 hours can be more, so the best thing to do is go when they open or event an hour before.
My Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step meetings are always located in a church basement! I never had an issue going because it is for a good purpose. Churches might have divine sparks that need to be uplifted. But I always wondered if I may say Asher Yotzar after using the church bathroom? (Is it permitted to pray or make a blessing in a church?)
In early sobriety I’d say shfoich chamoscha 😉
The Rebbe once told someone who was setting his watch by the big church clock outside not to do it, and not to try and benefit from the church in any way. We know about the Rebbe and Frierdiker Rebbe playing chess on Nittel Nacht and telling us not to learn Torah that night. And there’s many other examples like this from Lubavitch, not to mention from other tzaddikim. R’ Braun says as long as it’s not in the sanctuary it is ok for a Jew to be in a church- in the church basement or community room etc. I… Read more »
100%
Would this heter apply also to early voting? That same church is the early voting location for at least a portions of the Crown Heights Jewish Community. Some of us would find it hard to stand for several hours and would also like to avoid the health risk of being indoors in a crowd.
You can go to adams street and vote there. The rebbe was very against going anywhere near a church
Since the heter is only if you can’t get the location moved, no one can vote in the church. Anyone can go to a non-church voting station and submit a provisional ballot (which will be counted after verifying they didn’t vote in the church). Thus, no one may rely on this heter to actually go vote there.