Politics11:00 · 1h ago

Israel to Close Holy Sites to Visitors Ahead of High Holidays Due to Budget Freeze

YnetCenter

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

Key points

01Israel will close all holy sites to visitors at the end of August before Rosh Hashanah.
02The closure is due to a Supreme Court injunction freezing budget transfers for religious services.
03The injunction followed procedural concerns over the Finance Committee's budget approval.
0433 million shekels were allocated for managing major prayer sites like Rachel's Tomb and King David's Tomb.
05The ministry warned that without funding, holy site operations will stop starting September.
06The Supreme Court will soon hear the petition in a three-judge panel to resolve the budget issue.

In this story

People

OrganizationsMinistry of Religious Services, National Authority for Holy Sites Development, Israeli Supreme Court, Finance Committee

PlacesIsrael, Rosh Hashanah, Rachel's Tomb, Bethlehem, Jerusalem

The story · English

The Israeli Ministry of Religious Services announced on Tuesday that all holy sites across the country will be closed to visitors at the end of August, about ten days before Rosh Hashanah. This period typically sees heavy crowds at prayer sites for Selichot prayers and preparations for the High Holidays. The ministry's CEO, Yehuda Avidan, informed Israel Dar'i, deputy director of the National Authority for Holy Sites Development, that a recent budget freeze is preventing funding for the authority's ongoing operations.

Last week, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction halting budget transfers approved by the Finance Committee, including funds allocated for religious needs and ultra-Orthodox educational networks. Justice Alex Stein cited procedural flaws in the Finance Committee's meeting as the reason for the freeze. The injunction affects a budget that included 33 million shekels for managing popular prayer sites such as Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's tomb, and the tombs of Samuel the Prophet and King David in Jerusalem.

Avidan warned that unless a solution is found by the end of August, the National Authority's activities and the operation of these holy sites will cease immediately at the start of September. The Supreme Court plans to hear the petition in a three-judge panel soon. This closure comes at a sensitive time when thousands of worshippers usually gather for religious observances ahead of the Jewish High Holidays.

Read the original at Ynet