"An interim solution should be found immediately for the burial of genizah until a permanent, national genizah site is set up," Finance Committee Chairman MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni and Public Petitions Committee Chairman MK Rabbi Uri Maklev told Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Arden and Israel Lands Administration senior officials during an extended meeting held at Rabbi Gafni's office.
Present at the meeting were representatives of organizations involved in genizah burial, including Rabbi Eliezer Bundheim, chairman of the General Genizah Association, Rabbi Yitzchok Brenner and Rabbi Goel Cohen, chairman of the Central Genizah Association, as well as the national quarry chairman and the director of the inspections department.
At the meeting Rabbi Bundheim said the Regional Council issued a closure order for the only genizah burial site currently operating because it can no longer take in genizah. He also said that in addition to the need for an immediate solution to the problem, the establishment of a national genizah site is needed as a long-term solution. At the meeting it was reported that 30,000 cubic meters of genizah are collected annually and halting burial creates an acute problem that requires urgent attention.
An agreement was reached to have Arden and Rabbi Gafni resubmit their request to the Regional Council not to close the site before an alternative site is found in the central region, and Rabbi Maklev said he would assess the possibility of raising the issue for a brief discussion in the Knesset plenum.
The Environmental Protection Minister said a fixed genizah site is definitely needed as a permanent solution and the approval process should be initiated. At the meeting representatives of the Israel Lands Administration said they have begun searching for a fixed site and a number of locations are being evaluated, but even if a site is found it would take over two years to complete the legal process and start operations. Therefore interim solutions are needed as well.
Rabbi Gafni called for the setup of temporary genizah sites in the North and South to reduce transportation costs. "The solution will have to include the issue of expenses," he said. "The organizations cannot absorb the tremendous transportation costs."
At the meeting the high cost of genizah disposal and the drastic rise in burial fees due to a lack of competition was discussed. Arden responded by instructing his staff to assess the lack of competition and to contact the Antitrust Authority. The Minister said the land in question is state land that belongs to the general public and fee levels should be regulated.
At the end of the meeting it was decided that the Israel Lands Administration would begin attempts to find a permanent genizah site while Arden and Rabbi Gafni would contact a number of additional entities to find optimal interim solutions.
The Environmental Protection Minister added that efforts should be made to avoid placing tzedokoh leaflets and similar materials that do not require genizah in genizah bins.
"It's important to consider the environmental repercussions and to avoid distributing such enormous quantities of leaflets," he said.
In response, Rabbi Brenner said some of the organization's activities are devoted to raising public awareness on the importance of omitting divrei Torah that require genizah from various types of printed materials. MKs Rabbi Gafni and Rabbi Maklev also said they would work to raise awareness on the issue.
