Jerusalem Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Event Canceled Ahead of Elections

The "Hillula" (commemoration) for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, scheduled for next month at Jerusalem's Binyanei Ha'uma, has been officially canceled. The decision follows a directive from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who advised against holding the event before the upcoming elections.

In a letter to Jerusalem Municipality officials, the Director-General of the Ministry of Religious Services, Yehuda Avidan, confirmed the cancellation. He cited the producer's announcement and the resulting timeline constraints due to the Attorney General's instruction. The event was slated to take place from October 6th to 8th.

Avidan also noted that if an alternative event is decided upon, the Ministry of Religious Services will consult with the Jerusalem Municipality. He thanked the Mayor and the Municipality's Director-General for their willingness to hold an event in memory of Rabbi Yosef.

The cancellation comes after controversy erupted two weeks prior when Baharav-Miara recommended postponing the Hillula until after the elections. In the past two years, the Ministry of Religious Services and the Jerusalem Municipality jointly organized similar events at a cost of four million shekels.

This year, the Ministry sought to coordinate the event in advance due to its proximity to Rabbi Yosef's death anniversary on October 14th and the general elections. They also proposed holding the event a week earlier and without Shas party representatives, but the Attorney General's office refused, insisting it be held after the elections, about a week and a half after the anniversary.

Shas reacted angrily to the initial directive, calling it an "audacious and outrageous demand from the dismissed Attorney General." The party argued that postponing the memorial service, citing election propaganda, was a "severe blow to the memory of Maran and to a vast public in Israel who follow his legacy." Shas also claimed the decision violated a Knesset law mandating the event and vowed to use all legal means to overturn it.