Shas Party Appeals to Supreme Court Over Postponed Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Event

The Shas party has filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court of Israel (Bagatz) challenging the Attorney General's decision to postpone a state-sponsored memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef until after the upcoming elections. The party argues that the Attorney General lacks the authority to suspend a statutory obligation, asserting that elections do not supersede Israeli law. The memorial event, dedicated to the legacy of the late Sephardic chief rabbi and spiritual leader of Shas, was initially scheduled for October 6-8, aiming to be held as close as possible to the anniversary of his passing on October 14, but well before the October 27 Knesset elections.

Shas contends that the event is mandated by the Commemoration Law, which requires the Ministry of Religious Services to hold an academic conference in Rabbi Yosef's memory. The party insists that postponing the event would sever the connection between the conference and the official commemoration day, as intended by the legislature. They also point out that the Ministry of Religious Services and its legal counsel had previously proposed numerous restrictions to prevent any election propaganda, including barring political content, speeches by politicians, and party symbols, and requiring prior approval of event materials.

Despite these proposed safeguards, the Attorney General maintained that the event should only proceed after the elections. Shas's appeal highlights a prior attempt to address the issue with the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, which was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction. Sohlberg did not rule on the merits of the case, leaving the matter to the appropriate authorities.

Furthermore, Shas alleges selective enforcement, drawing a parallel to the state memorial event for Yitzhak Rabin, scheduled just five days before the elections. The party argues that if state commemoration events for figures with political affiliations can proceed, there is no justification for postponing Rabbi Yosef's memorial, given his historical ties to Shas. The party stated, "There is a limit to insensitivity and detachment," emphasizing that the decision harms the feelings of hundreds of thousands of observant Jews for whom Rabbi Yosef was a revered teacher.