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9 Kislev 5761 - December 6, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Rabbi Ravitz Requests Information About Reform and Conservative Activities
by Betzalel Kahn

Last week, UTJ MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz asked officials in the Religious Affairs Ministry responsible for the Law of Freedom of Information, for information about Conservative and Reform organizations subsidized by the Religious Affairs Ministry.

The request was made after the Center for Jewish Pluralism of the Reform movement asked the Religious Affairs Ministry for reports on various institutions and organizations subsidized by the Ministry. In the wake of this demand, Rabbi Ravitz said that he doesn't oppose giving statistics to public bodies who are sincerely concerned about proper government functioning, such as the Movement for the Quality of the Government, but that it is not proper that statistics be given to a group whose only purpose is to subvert religious bodies.

Rabbi Ravitz then told yeshiva directors to take advantage of their rights under the Law for Freedom of Information, from the year 5758, clause 23. This clause deals with a situation in which information which includes details about a third party and is liable to harm that party is requested. It proceeds to state that if, indeed, the public authority from whom the information is requested is considering enabling the requesting party to receive it, the authority must inform the third party (in this case the yeshivos) about the request and about its right to oppose transfer of this information. If a person or body receives such a notice, he may inform the authority within 21 days that he opposes the request.

Concomitantly, last week Rabbi Ravitz requested information about various associations linked to the Reform and Conservative movements, such as the Center for Jewish Pluralism, Beit Shmuel, Hebrew Union College, the Worldwide Movement of Progressive Judaism, and the Reform Movement in Israel -- all bodies which are subsidized by government ministries, among them the Religious Affairs and the Education Ministries.

Rabbi Ravitz asked for information about the annual subsidies these bodies have received over the past five years. Information regarding these subsidies must be detailed and must include the personal salaries of all directors of these bodies, details of subsidies for lectures, for maintenance and for the purchase of cars, as well as audits of these bodies.

 

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