Israel's High Court Upholds Cancellation of State Funding for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Event

Israel's Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it would not intervene in the decision by the Attorney General to cancel state funding for a memorial event honoring Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The event, scheduled to commemorate the late Sephardic spiritual leader, was called off due to its proximity to an upcoming election.

Despite a law passed by the Knesset stipulating that the Ministry of Religious Services should hold a commemorative conference in Rabbi Yosef's memory on or around the date of his passing, the Attorney General's office determined that funding the event so close to an election would constitute improper use of state resources for political purposes.

Aryeh Deri, chairman of the Shas party, which was founded by Rabbi Yosef's followers, criticized the decision. He stated that it was not just an attack on Shas but on a large traditional and faithful public whose heritage and great rabbis are being treated with condescension and discrimination. Deri vowed that the decision would only strengthen Shas's resolve to reform the justice system and return power to the people and their elected officials, asserting that neither the Supreme Court nor the Attorney General could stop Rabbi Yosef's legacy.

Shas also accused authorities of selective enforcement, pointing out that state memorial events for Yitzhak Rabin are scheduled to take place just five days before the election. The party argued that it was discriminatory for Rabbi Yosef's event to be postponed due to its perceived political ties while other events, even closer to the election, proceed as planned. Shas concluded that the decision harms the feelings of hundreds of thousands of Jews who considered Rabbi Yosef their rabbi and guide, and that his legacy cannot be erased or his followers' love for him turned into election propaganda.