MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Moshe Gafne addressed chareidim to explain the realities vis-à-vis the State of Israel and adherence to Shabbos in an address on Independence Day 69 to the so-called ‘working chareidim’ in an event taking place in Beit Ava in Petach Tikvah.

Kikar Shabbos correspondent Yisrael Cohen used the time traveling to the event to interview Gafne, sharing his statements in the report below.

The big picture is a promise and commitment from Gafne that he and his colleagues will fight a relentless battle to prevent widespread chilul Shabbos in Tel Aviv based on the recent High Court of Justice decision.

Gafne was asked to explain if fears the chareidim are becoming more “Israelized”, integrating into mainstream society – to the point a growing number observe Independence Day in one form or another. He feels that “There has always been בַּר בֵּי רַב דְּחַד יוֹמָא, the one-day Yid and basically, nothing here has changed. He added, “Look, we are living here many years and we are having an influence. We are also growing and by the nature of things, our influence is growing”.

Regarding Independence Day, the character of the state vis-à-vis Shabbos, chareidim and the anti-religious, Gafne feels that the majority of the country still wants to maintain tradition. From his perspective, if it was chareidi and the anti-religious, he would not be fighting for it would not be successful for one thing, and in addition, it simply is not the agenda. However, since most are traditional, he feels the battle to maintain the Shabbos status quo must be fought. He feels it is an atrocity that stores will open on Shabbos in Tel Aviv with a hashgacha from the High Court, and this will place enormous pressure on the many smaller stores owned by frum and traditional Jews with the latter preferring to remain home and not work on Shabbos, as has been the case for years.

He feels the assault on Shabbos and religion and state began during the previous government when Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi teamed up and delivered a significant blow to Yiddishkheit in Israel. Today, he feels the High Court has issued a bad ruling but points out the coalition partners are bound by agreements to preserve the religious status quo. Hence, he remains confident that a law circumventing the court’s ruling can and will be passed in Knesset.

He promises that Yahadut Hatorah will insist on maintaining the religious status quo, even in Tel Aviv, however when asked “Even at the expense of breaking the coalition”, he responds “I don’t know what this means, breaking from the coalition. We will fight this to the end and we must amend the law that it also includes Tel Aviv”.

He explains his bill is not legislation intended to circumvent the High Court as he is well-aware he needs the backing of the Yisrael Beitenu party headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman as well as the Kulanu party headed by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. His bill, he points out, addresses the need to stand firm on the current religious status quo and it does not address circumventing the High Court.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)