Shas Party Appeals Election Committee Over Postponed Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Event

The Shas party has filed an urgent appeal with the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, protesting the decision to postpone a state memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef until after the upcoming elections. Shas argues that the decision by the Attorney General's office is disproportionate and contradicts a Knesset law that mandated the event's timing. The party contends that the memorial, intended to honor Rabbi Yosef's legacy, does not inherently involve election campaigning, calls to vote, or party symbols. Shas claims they proposed various restrictions to prevent any political use of the event, but these were disregarded.

In their appeal, filed by attorney Guy Bousi, Shas emphasized that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's legacy is not exclusive to their party and that the Knesset itself recognized his importance worthy of state commemoration. They argue that the deceased figure's public and political biography should not justify canceling or delaying a state-sponsored event. Shas drew a parallel to the memorial day for Yitzhak Rabin, questioning if a similar postponement would occur due to Rabin's political affiliation with the Labor party. The party asserted that state commemoration does not require erasing a figure's political history.

Shas proposed that instead of postponement, clear rules and limitations could have been established to neutralize any concerns about election propaganda. They stated in the appeal, "When a scalpel can be used, there is no legal justification for using an axe." The party is requesting the Chairman of the Elections Committee to intervene and allow the memorial event to proceed as originally scheduled.