Shas Chairman Deri Unveils Bar Mitzvah Gift Plan

By דסק C14

Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba

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Hebrew · 11 newsrooms covering

Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri announced a new election pledge to provide every Israeli boy turning 13 with a Bar Mitzvah kit including tefillin and a tallit. The party also commits to ensuring prayer spaces in schools. Deri framed the initiative as a response to secularist calls and a means to strengthen Israel's Jewish identity and security.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri announced a plan to give every 13-year-old boy a Bar Mitzvah kit.
The party also pledges to secure prayer spaces in Israeli schools.
Deri stated the plan is a response to Yair Golan's calls to remove religion from public life.
The initiative aims to strengthen Jewish identity and Israel's security.
Deri urged voters to choose between a Jewish state and a secular one.

Shas Chairman Deri Unveils Bar Mitzvah Gift Plan — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri announced a new election pledge on Thursday, titled "Tefillin for Every Child," which aims to strengthen Jewish identity in Israel. Under the plan, every Israeli boy reaching the age of 13 will receive a Bar Mitzvah kit, including tefillin and a tallit, from the education system. Additionally, Shas will work to mandate the allocation of prayer spaces in schools for students who wish to pray and don specific tefillin.

Deri presented this initiative as a direct response to recent public discourse concerning the role of religion in public life, specifically targeting statements attributed to Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party. "This is Shas's answer to those who want to erase religion from the public sphere," Deri stated, vowing to prevent Israel from becoming "a nation like all nations."

He emphasized the symbolic importance of tefillin for the Jewish people, asserting that the program would deepen the connection to Judaism and Israeli tradition, thereby bolstering Israel's security. Deri quoted scripture and rabbinic texts to underscore his belief that tefillin represent a spiritual force capable of overcoming enemies. He concluded by framing the upcoming election as a choice between strengthening the Jewish character of the state or descending into secularism.