Public outrage is growing over the failure to pay religious
council workers, who say they have had enough of the promises
issued by the Prime Minister and Finance Ministry officials
to pay their salaries in the near future while not the
slightest progress has been made toward a solution.
Histadrut heads have decided to take up the struggle with the
Finance Ministry, saying that in places like Bat Yam,
Herzliya, Maaleh Adumim and Karnei Shomron religious council
employees have not received their pay for four months. At
other religious councils, such as Ohr Yehuda, Givat Ada,
Ariel (some workers), Bnei Shimon, Rechovot, Yehud and Lod,
salaries have not been paid for three months. In Jerusalem,
the Gaza Coast, Metulla (advances only), Mizkeret Batya and
Kiryat Gat salaries have not been paid for two months. Even
in the least problematic places—Ohr Akiva, Ariel (non-
elected workers), Bnei Brak, Beit She'an, Zichron Yaakov,
Mevasseret Tzion and Kiryat Arba—salaries are one month
behind schedule. A total of 700 of the country's 5,000
religious council workers have not been paid on time.
Religious council workers in Arad, Lod and Chatzor Haglilit
began a strike, halting religious and burial services.
Tensions are extremely high in the Knesset State Control
Committee, which has been discussing the prolonged crisis
crippling religious services in Israel. All of the
participants, both coalition and opposition members, lodged
harsh criticism against the government's inability to provide
minimal religious services. Although the government held a
special meeting to address the problem, since then almost no
progress has been made toward paying the salaries of
rabbonim, religious council workers and mikveh workers.
State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg announced he has decided
to look into the issue of providing religious services and
the government's failures in the matter, including the
factors that led to the collapse of religious services.
Committee Chairman Yuri Stern (HaIchud HaLeumi) asked the
State Comptroller to include in his inquiry the decision-
making process that led to the dismantling of the Religious
Affairs Ministry, taking note of political appointments of
Likud Center members and their friends and relatives to the
religious councils.
Goldberg also lodged criticism against the state of affairs
in religious services and demanded the matter be set
straight. "Religious services are in need of root-canal
treatment and anything else is merely a painkiller," he said.
Turning to the rabbonim present at the meeting he said, "You
are issuing a great and bitter cry that is certainly called
for. It is unconscionable that employees do not receive their
pay. There are no excuses for such a thing and none of them
matter. First of all workers have to be paid their salaries,
period."
HaRav Moshe Rauchberger, chairman of the Rabbinical
Association, voiced the indignation of the rabbonim, many of
whom have been rendered penniless. "Families are collapsing
and nobody cares. This is truly a matter of dinei
nefoshos. How can you allow such a thing to continue even
one day longer? The government cut the religious services
budget in the most scandalous way and the funding that
remains is not even enough to pay the salaries. This is where
the religious councils' obligation stems from. The local
authorities' contributions were also cut proportionately
because the law requires them to give according to what the
government gives, and all this brought about a situation in
which minimal religious services cannot be provided. Mikvehs
are being closed and nobody is troubled by it. What is taking
place is the devastation of religious services and the dam
must be fixed before it's too late."
HaRav Dovid Shapira, the rov of Jerusalem's Beit Hakerem
neighborhood and the secretary of the Rabbinical Association,
said what is happening to religious services is "total and
criminal neglect. Is this a nation of Jews or a nation of non-
Jews?" he asked.
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni was the most staunchly critical among
the MKs. He surveyed at length the abuse done to religious
services and the violated agreements regarding
mikvo'os, cemeteries, rabbonim, religious council
workers, money to suppliers, etc., saying, "I'm sick of
talking about the matter. None of the problems associated
with religious services have been solved. Recently an
agreement was reached in the framework of the coalition
agreement to address religious services, but in practice the
agreement has not been honored. The Jewish Religious Services
Law has not been implemented and what is happening in the
area [of religious services] is anarchy, like in Third World
nations, and perhaps this definition is even an insult to
Third World nations."
Ilan Cohen, director of the Prime Minister's Office, who was
placed in a position of great discomfort as the attacks
continued, tried to defend against the onslaught by claiming
the Prime Minister's Office is making every possible effort
to solve the problem of religious services. He admitted not
meeting the timetable but insisted the issue is highly
complex. "A reform that will be presented to the government
within three weeks [Note: i.e. 3 weeks from 7 Adar] has been
formulated," he said. "According to the reform an authority
will be set up to determine, for the first time in the
history of the State, the standards and mandatory services
the State is required to provide every citizen. A real
revolution will take place in religious services."
He said the 2005 budget and the upcoming reform would provide
realistic funding for religious services. Cohen also pledged
to solve the problem of unpaid salaries within a matter of
days, but committee members expressed skepticism in light of
the numerous unmet promises already made to address the
issue, including a government decision.
The Knesset Religious Lobby also discussed this issue and
decided to demand the Prime Minister carry out the coalition
agreement signed with UTJ by setting religious services in
order.
Rabbi Gafni criticized the government's failure to coordinate
with Degel HaTorah—as stipulated in the coalition
agreement— on the reform slated to be presented in the
near future.
Following his remarks, the members of the Religious Lobby
decided to demand that the government prepare the reform in
coordination with them and with the consent of the Religious
Lobby, the rabbonim and representatives of the religious
council workers.
Meir Schpiegler, responsible for religious services in the
Prime Minister's Office, said one of the problems of funding
the religious councils is the salaries of the pensioners,
which constitutes 40 percent of the budget, and said the
solution is to transfer pension payments to the State
Employees Pension Department.
Religious Lobby members and representatives of the rabbonim
present at the meeting voiced approval for this proposal,
saying they would include it in their demands to put
religious services in order.
