Deputy Minister of Religious Services (Bayit Yehudi) Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan has allocated 2 million NIS for shuls in southern Israel to permit fortifying them against rocket attacks.

Ben-Dahan spoke out against his predecessors and their failures to allocate funding to protect shuls, blaming Shas, which held that ministry for a number of years before Bayit Yehudi took it over in 2013. The allocation will benefit shuls in numerous communities including but not limited to the S’dot Negev Regional Council, Kiryat Gat, and the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

With the split of Shas, Ben-Dahan has been working to attract Sephardi voters who view themselves as members of the Zionist camp in the upcoming Knesset elections.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)