Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman has the Yesh Atid party to thank for it was the party’s petition to the High Court of Justice that led to the decision to permit him to become a cabinet minister.

Yesh Atid challenged the current government makeup in which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is the health minister while Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is the acting minister. Yesh Atid believes a ministry must have an active minister who attends cabinet meetings. The court agreed and has given the government 60 days to appoint a health minister.

This compelled a meeting of the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael of Agudas Yisrael, which took place on Thursday morning 12 Elul. The admorim discussed the growing chilul Shabbos in Yerushalayim as well as the situation pertaining to Litzman. In the past, the Torah council has not permitted Agudas Yisrael MKs to serve as a cabinet minister, but only as a deputy minister and this has been the custom throughout the years.

However, faced with a new reality, the council has decided to permit Litzman to become a full cabinet minister.

Taking part in the meeting were the Admorim Shlita of Ger, Vishnitz, Slonim, Boyan, Moditz, and Sadigura. The Admorim Shlita of Belze, Sanz and Biala were not able to attend. Council Secretary Rav Mordechai Stern spoke with the Belzer Rebbe during the meeting and the rebbe gave his bracha for Litzman to accept the cabinet appointment.

Following the announced decision Litzman told the press he will do as he is told by the council as is always the case and he will accept Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s request that he serve as the nation’s Health Minister. He added that in his eyes nothing changes for until now he may have been a deputy minister but maintained ministerial authority.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)