Leaders of Shas’s Council of Torah Sages have come out strongly against Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s telecom bill, raising questions about whether it still has enough support in the Knesset. The opposition surfaced in recordings aired Sunday night, while the committee promoting the bill continued marathon discussions in an effort to approve it before the Knesset is dissolved. A first report also said the rabbinical committee sent a harsh letter against the reform, urging resistance to the law “with all force.”
The bill would shut down the outdated “Idan Plus” system and replace it with a free state-run streaming app that would aggregate all major Israeli TV channels, including commercial and public broadcasters, and make them available on smartphones, tablets and smart TVs without a set-top box, antenna or monthly fee. The rabbis’ objection focused on the religious impact, especially what they see as increased Sabbath desecration through easy access to live content.
Rabbi Reuven Elbaz reportedly sent Karhi a blunt message, saying, “To open a channel, so people will start watching films on Shabbat, watch games on Shabbat, this is nothing, this is not the standard of the Jewish people. In my view, whoever did such a thing, I fear will not escape judgment.” He added that he would not agree to it “under any circumstances” and would say so publicly. He also said the minister’s appearance, whether wearing a kippah or not, did not matter, calling the move “an absolute and total prohibition.”
Another member of the council, Rabbi Shlomo Mahfoud, was quoted as saying, “Heaven forbid, heaven forbid. Anything like this is unprecedented Sabbath desecration. There is desecration of Shabbat here.” Karhi, in a recent interview, rejected claims that the new app would authorize or finance Sabbath violations. He said Idan Plus costs the state 40 million shekels a year and requires technicians to work 24 hours a day, including Shabbat, while the new system would cut costs to 2 million to 3 million shekels and operate like a regular government website. He also said the law explicitly bans live broadcasts of major sporting events on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, blocks obscene content, and reserves 10 free slots for new news channels. Keshes 12 denied reports that it had hired ultra-Orthodox lobbyists to oppose the bill.
