Israel's High Court Rejects Shas Party's Bid for Rabbi Ovadia Yossef Memorial Event

Israel's High Court of Justice on Wednesday dismissed a petition by the Shas party seeking to reinstate a state-funded public conference honoring Rabbi Ovadia Yossef, the late spiritual leader of the Sephardic Orthodox party. The event, scheduled for October 6-8 at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, was canceled by the Ministry of Religious Services on Monday. The ministry cited the Attorney General's position, organizational deadlines, and ongoing legal proceedings as reasons for the cancellation.

The court ruled that the Shas petition had become moot, as the ministry had stated it could no longer organize the conference on the originally planned dates. Consequently, the judges did not rule on the core issue of whether public funding for the event, so close to an election, could have provided an electoral advantage to Shas.

A 2025 law mandates the ministry to hold an annual conference dedicated to Rabbi Ovadia Yossef's life and work around the date of his commemoration, which falls on October 14 this year, less than two weeks before the upcoming elections. Shas argued that postponing the event until after the vote would violate the spirit of the law by severing the connection to the anniversary date.

The ministry had proposed barring partisan symbols and political speeches to prevent electoral exploitation. However, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara maintained that the conference's scale and proximity to the elections posed a risk of electoral propaganda, given Rabbi Yossef's prominent image and legacy in the Shas campaign.

The Ministry of Religious Services remains legally obligated to organize the conference, but no new date has been announced.