Talmidim of mekubalim are angry at Minister of Religious Services David Azoulai, who earlier in the week backed a call to get tougher on admorim and mekubalim, who officials fear are evading income tax authorities. They accuse Azoulai of “involving himself in matters that are not his business”.

Kikar Shabbos News quotes one senior official in a “prominent chassidus” anonymously saying “Davka we did not expect this of a minister who wears a yarmulke who is appointed by the bnei torah community, to speak out as he has. He is well aware of the huge sums of money given to the needy and families with little means and now the state will try to push the matter and this may jeopardize all of this”.

The source acknowledges that a portion of the sums given to admorim is what is called ‘black income’ that does not reach state coffers directly, “but I would expect Azoulai to understand the huge sums of moneys handled by chassidic courts are beneficial to the national economy too at the end of the day. People buy goods with the money, thereby assisting the economy indirectly – not to mention the huge sums of foreign money poured into mosdos, yeshivos and chessed organizations that assists as well”.

The source questions “What do admorim do with the money, assist yeshivos and avreichim?! Amazing that davka a chareidi official is the one to works towards ruining all this – something the non-frum world has understood for years”.

One gabbai tzedaka questions “Was Azoulai born yesterday? Doesn’t he know how things work? He himself has gone to many a rebbe seeking a bracha. Where does he come to try to compromise their income?”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)