In the wake of the State Comptroller's censure of the
Religious Councils for not holding joint meetings with
representatives of the Reform movement, members of the
Jerusalem Religious Council have made it absolutely clear
that the council has always and will always conduct itself in
accordance with halocho as directed by the ruling of the
gedolei haTorah.
In other matters, the Religious Council was pleased with
the findings of the Comptroller which clearly indicate that
over the past few years the Council has extended considerable
assistance to hundreds of charitable groups. However, one of
the areas in which the Comptroller criticized the Council was
in its distribution of money for kimcha dePischa, and
here the Council rejects the Comptroller's opinion that the
distribution of kimcha dePischa should only be given
to bodies under direct supervision of the Council.
All decisions regarding granting of aid to the needy
were agreed upon by Religious Council committees which are
composed of elected public representatives. Analysis of the
list of the hundreds of organizations which received help
from the Council indicates that aid was given to both
religious and secular institutions, as well as families and
community centers.
By its decision to conduct itself in this manner, the
Council has continued the long-standing Jewish tradition that
kimcha dePischa money is distributed not only to
families and individuals but also to charitable organizations
known for the help they extend to the needy in all parts of
the city.
Heads of the Jerusalem Religious Council explained to
the State Comptroller that the Jerusalem Religious Council --
along with all religious groups in the State -- distribute
kimcha dePischa on the basis of the Jewish approach
which does not differentiate between Jews regarding money or
food products for the needy. Furthermore, in recent years,
the number of voluntary organizations distributing kimcha
dePischa in the form of food packages has greatly
increased, and it is precisely in this area that the Council
has made outstanding progress.
The Religious Council pointed out that organizations
helping the needy informed their beneficiaries that part of
the subsidy comes from the Council. Those subsidizing the
Religious Council -- the Religious Affairs Ministry and the
Jerusalem Municipality -- encourage the Religious Council in
its efforts because they regard the distribution of kimcha
dePischa as one of its basic functions.
The Council examined every institution or nonprofit
organization before granting help. Organizations which are
not legally registered or whose records were not audited and
subsequently approved were rejected. Due to the limited
amount of manpower available to the Religious Council, it was
able to conduct follow-ups of distribution activities only on
samples of a broad cross section of the organizations
supported.
The Religious Council has stated that the few
suggestions by the Comptroller regarding Council
administrative activities have either been already rectified
or are currently in the process of rectification.
