Against the backdrop of ongoing discussions in the Constitution Committee regarding the new Rabbinical Law, which is intended to increase the number of appointments of city, municipal, and neighborhood rabbis, members of the Yesh Atid party are criticizing the coalition's course of action.
Part of the criticism is also directed at the fact that the committee continues to debate the proposed law during the summer recess, a step considered unusual for a non-urgent issue. However, the Shas party is attempting to push for the appointment of rabbis with close ties to it.
In a statement by the Yesh Atid party, it is written: "Precisely during days of division and polarization, the failing coalition is working to advance another corrupt law that gives unreasonable power to its members. Instead of working towards societal cohesion and promoting a Judaism 'whose ways are ways of pleasantness and all of whose paths are peace'. 'The Rabbinical Law' is creating more jobs for cronies, significantly increasing the number of rabbis – and its funding is drawn from the pockets of the residents."
"This is not a Judaism that enlightens and unites. Together with the local authorities, we will preserve the distinctiveness and character of local rabbis and fight against the surrender of power to an extreme government with political interests. The rabbi is part of the community, and the public should choose them, rather than turning them into tools for distributing jobs among coalition members."
MK Moshe Tur-Paz, a member of the committee representing Yesh Atid, stated during the discussion: "The Rabbinical Law imposes a 'rabbi by appointment' upon a secular or traditional community. Why? Because that's what Shas wants. The law increases the government's power, diminishes female representation, and further disconnects Judaism from the people. The representatives of Judaism in the Knesset present the Torah as a pawn to dig with. It's a shameful occupation. Woe to the honor of the Torah."
