Lawyer Recounts Fight to Save Gush Katif Synagogues During Disengagement

In the 11th episode of the podcast "Oibver Chochmes" with Ariel Sherfrer, attorney Gilad Korinaldi discusses his lifelong attachment to synagogues in Israel and abroad, which he calls the "soundtrack of Judaism." He comes from an Italian Jewish family of rabbis and jurists and is the son of the late Professor Michael Korinaldi.

Korinaldi describes the complex legal battle he led to stop Jews from demolishing synagogues in Gush Katif during the 2005 disengagement. The case was later turned into a full dramatic account in his book "Mishpat Neila" and was also staged by the Gush Katif Information Center.

The episode explores what a synagogue means beyond prayer, including its architectural and even culinary dimensions. Korinaldi says it is not only a building, but a "second home, the heart and soul of Judaism." The legal dispute, the episode says, was about who owns a synagogue, a question he believes will be remembered in Israel's history.

The actor portraying Korinaldi in the stage production says, "This legal debate will be written in the pages of Israel's history." Korinaldi sums up the outcome of the long legal process in three words: "a sad and important victory." The podcast is part of a weekly Sunday release on the Srugim website.