Despite the fact that the coalition is teetering on its last legs and lacks a majority, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman continues to launch diabolical plans against religion, this time aiming to abolish religious councils across the country, it was revealed this week.
Religious councils oversee religious services in cities and towns across Israel, including mikvaos, batei kevaros, and other religious matters, and in some cities, they also manage shuls and other religious centers.
The explanatory memorandum to the law does not obscure Lieberman’s intentions. “This decision is expected to bring full control of the local authority in the religious services it provides to its residents.” In other words, the power of Rabbanim will be restrained and authority over religious issues will be under the exclusive control of the government and local council.
In response to the report, Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana issued a statement, saying: “The draft of the Arrangements Law that was published was not coordinated with the Religious Affairs Ministry and is not acceptable to the Deputy Minister.” In other words, Lieberman planned on trying to quietly legislate a huge and consequential change in religious services without even consulting the religious affairs minister.
The plan is included in the Arrangements Law, which is due to be approved by the government in about three weeks together with the budget. However, it must then be approved in the Knesset, an unlikely prospect at this point.
“The destruction and madness of Avigdor Lieberman is endless when it comes to destroying everything related to Yahadus and religious services,” UTJ MK Uri Maklev said in response to the report.
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said: “In its last breaths, the evil government headed by Bennett-Lieberman-Lapid wants to stick its paws in and completely trample Jewish identity and tradition. They’ll be sent to the dustbin of history very soon. We’ll replace them, b’ezras Hashem, with a nationalist government that that will proudly represent the state’s Jewish identity.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Thereby striking a serious blow to the religious zionists, and increasing the influence of the anti-zionist Hareidim. If the religious zionists are expelled from the zionist movement and marginalized by the secular medinah, they will end up be reabsorbed by the hareidim (reversing 120 years of their flirtation with zionism), making the hareidim not only stronger, but great enough in numbers to start serious contesting the zionists for control of Eretz Yisrael (as was the case prior to World War I).
Just another reminder that we’re in galus even in Eretz Yisroel
Even when Hitler yemach shemo was losing WWII on the Russian front, and he could have used the railroads to send military supplies and soldiers to the front, he was so singularly focused on implementing the Final Solution, rachmona litzlan, that he insisted on using the railroads to deport as many Yidden as possible, against the advice of his military advisors. Ha sinah m’kalkeles es ha shura. Mr. Yevette is getting desperate. He wants to do as much damage as he can with his dying political breath. I wish him a political downfall very quickly, and I pray that he should be chozer b’teshuva and follow in the ways of his frum grandchildren.
But what is OUR obligation, after we have done all the political histadlus? I heard from a great Rosh Yeshiva, whose name I do not want to quote in this forum: Where there is a kitrug against limud HaTorah, it is a sign from Heaven that we have to strengthen ourselves and Torah an to learn with more mesiras nefesh.
On a similar topic, a couple years ago, I read a quote from the kippah-wearing Prime Minister of Israel: I also learned in Yeshiva and I know how they shmooze and waste time when they should be learning.
OK, so the guy is an apikorus — one who says “mai ahani lon rabonon” — of what benefit are the Torah scholars to us. But what to WE have to learn for this? HaShem is demanding more mesiras nefesh from the learners and supporters of Torah.
We should pray for the geulah speedily and in our days!
Maybe if the “religious” didn’t treat everyone around them like garbage, they wouldn’t be facing so much antagonism!
Kach: Abolishing the Religious Council only hurts the religious zionists (“kipah srugah”) types, who can hardly be the ones you are complaining about. They esteem the seculars, and have spent the last century or so seeking their favor (I was going to use common slang referring to body parts, but YWN has standards). The hareidim, who are the group you can’t stand, have their own “shadow government” (the remnant of the frum community’s autonomous structures that existed before the Brits drove out the Turks) and would be the big winners if the religious zionist institutions (which depend on government support and funding) were forced out of business.
This nut-job came from Russia posing as a Jew. Did anybody ever actual verify that he is in fact Jewish? I have heard in the name of a chashuvah Rosh Yeshivah in Israel that he strongly doubts this guys Jewishness.
lol matan kahana will be unemployed soon
serves him right