Israel's Legal Advisor Clarifies Rules on Memorial Events Amid Election Season

The Deputy Attorney General, Roy Schindorff, has clarified that there is no general prohibition on holding memorial events and commemorations for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a prominent Sephardic rabbi. This clarification follows a significant outcry from the Shas party after the initial decision to cancel the government-sponsored "Marana Day" event, which was planned close to the upcoming elections.

Schindorff's letter to the Director-General of the Ministry of Religious Services, Yehuda Avidan, stated that no general directive was issued to ban or postpone these remembrance events. However, the legal counsel's office still maintains reservations about the specific government event organized by the Ministry of Religious Services due to its proximity to the elections. The ministry's event reportedly includes visual content and media coverage, which the legal advisors believe could be problematic during the election period, suggesting it be held after the elections.

Further details revealed that the Ministry of Religious Services itself had requested to reschedule the event from its original date, which coincided with the anniversary and the election period, to October 6th, about eight days before the anniversary. However, this revised date also fell within the election period, leading to the legal office's disapproval of the event in that format.

Addressing the comparison made by Avidan to memorial events for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Schindorff stated that any government memorial event for Rabin held during the election period would also be subject to the same scrutiny and guidelines. The controversy erupted when Avidan publicly criticized the legal advice, questioning the disparity in treatment between the Rabbi Ovadia Yosef commemoration and Rabin's memorial events. The dispute escalated with sharp reactions from Shas, calling the decision "brazen and outrageous," and a strong rebuke from Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who questioned the Attorney General's authority.

While the general memorial services and commemorations are now permitted, the core disagreement remains regarding the timing of the Ministry of Religious Services' official event, which the legal advisors still recommend holding post-election.