I voted for a party I expected to lose. I still believe in that vote.

I voted for HaTzibur HaChareidi knowing that it would almost certainly fail to enter the Knesset. I do not regret that vote.

I live in Alon Shvut, a significant center of the Religious Zionist world, where voters overwhelmingly support right-wing and Religious Zionist parties. More than 50 others in my community also voted for HaTzibur HaChareidi. I cannot speak for their motives, but my own choice was deliberate: I wanted to encourage an emerging religious voice that I believe is profoundly necessary for Israel and the Jewish people.

I do not believe that “electoral success” is the correct litmus test for evaluating the significance of a holistic vision. The 10,000 plus votes do not amount to failure. On the contrary, as a fairly well-informed consumer of Israeli news, it was remarkable to what extent the press covered the emergence of the party, and, more importantly, its vision. Exposure matters. The party’s visibility created opportunities for its vision to be discussed well beyond the circle of those prepared to vote for it.

The foundation of that vision is identification with the entirety of Am Yisrael in Medinat Yisrael, and the bearing of full responsibility for its welfare, in every aspect. Spiritual life, security, livelihood, education, and social cohesion of our people must be of universal concern. Devotion to Torah should only deepen the commitment to these values.

Communal change often begins when people hear someone articulate a thought they have privately entertained. A public voice can give them language for their hopes and confidence that they are not alone. Ideas once difficult to express become subjects of legitimate conversation and social transformation.

I am quite confident that changes in awareness, legitimization of what people are already inclined to think, and the creation of programmatic facts on the ground, within the fields of education, synagogue life, the military, and the like, are ultimately, the most powerful agents of change. The movement’s achievements may be found in the communities it strengthens and the institutions it is establishing, long before they can be counted in Knesset seats.

From my world in Alon Shvut, I offer encouragement, with humility.  Changes within the Chareidi world must be led by people rooted in that community. But the success of the vision of HaTzibur HaChareidi is of existential importance for all of Israel. My vote was an expression of confidence in that work. My hope is that those who undertook it will continue with courage, patience, and optimism.

“Chazak ve’ematz,”—be strong and courageous, “ki benafshenu hadavar”- our collective well-being is at stake.