Shas Party to Hold Nationwide Events Commemorating Rabbi Ovadia Yosef After State Funding Denied
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Shas will hold nationwide events for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef after state funding was denied.
- The Election Committee and High Court rejected Shas's petition for state-funded commemoration.
- Attorney General cited election campaigning concerns for the funding denial.
- Shas claims selective enforcement and argues the law mandates a state event.
- Dozens of party-funded events are planned across Israel, from Beersheba to Safed.
- Shas expects tens of thousands to attend the decentralized events.
The Shas party has announced plans to hold dozens of nationwide memorial events for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, following the rejection of its petition to fund a state-sponsored commemoration. The party's request for state funding for the annual memorial event, traditionally held at Jerusalem's Binyanei Ha'uma, was denied by the Election Committee and the High Court of Justice.
The Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, ruled that the Ministry of Religious Services could not fund the event due to concerns it would be used for election campaigning, as national elections are scheduled for October 27. Shas and the Ministry of Religious Services argued that the decision contradicted the law mandating a state event for Rabbi Yosef's commemoration. They proposed moving the event earlier to distance it from the elections and pledged it would focus solely on his religious legacy, without political content.
Shas also claimed selective enforcement, pointing to the state commemoration for Yitzhak Rabin, which occurs closer to elections. Despite these arguments, the petition was rejected. In response, Shas decided to shift to a party-funded, nationwide format. These events are expected to take place from Beersheba to Safed and are anticipated to draw tens of thousands of participants, potentially exceeding attendance at the single central event.
The party aims to convey that Rabbi Yosef's legacy cannot be erased and that the denial of the state event will, in fact, lead to a broader dissemination of his teachings across the country. The planned events will include Torah lessons, stories about the Rabbi, and screenings of his sermons, with Shas intending to make the upcoming month a period of national commemoration for him.