JERUSALEM (VINnews)- The Satmar Hasidic faction led by Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum is set to distribute millions of dollars to thousands of Israeli families who pledge not to vote in the upcoming Knesset elections, according to an Israeli Charedi news sites.

Join our WhatsApp group

Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email

The campaign is expected to distribute the money Thursday through community leaders and activists. The initiative has been expanded beyond families affiliated with the Eda Haredit to include additional Haredi communities whose members are expected to abstain from voting, according to the report.

The payments are being distributed through Satmar’s “Shekel Tahor” fund, which was established about 13 years ago by the Satmar Rebbe during a visit to Israel. The fund supports Torah and educational institutions that do not accept government funding, as well as families in need.

According to the report, families included on the campaign’s internal lists are eligible to receive a $200 payment after declaring that family members will not vote in the election.

The campaign is funded by wealthy donors associated with the Satmar community, including businessman and philanthropist Yoeli Landau, according to the report. The distribution was approved by Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum following a briefing by organizers after Yom Kippur.

Satmar’s opposition to voting in Israeli elections stems from its anti-Zionist religious ideology. The movement maintains that participating in Israel’s political system constitutes recognition of Jewish sovereignty before the arrival of the Messiah.

The movement has previously offered financial incentives to encourage Israelis to abstain from voting. In 2013, Satmar announced plans to provide $100 to Israelis who pledged not to vote. Ahead of the 2019 elections, a Satmar-affiliated campaign in the United States sought to raise about $12 million for a similar effort.

The current initiative continues the faction’s longstanding call for Haredi Jews to refrain from participating in Israel’s national elections.