"We will check thoroughly the charges raised by the Minister of Religious Services, Yaakov Margi," said Rabbi Moshe Gafni, chairmen of the Knesset Finance Committee, at a meeting to discuss the recent decision of the Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, to budget Reform and Conservative rabbis.
Rabbi Gafni, in his opening remarks, asked in general who is empowered by the State of Israel to fund things about which there is no decision by the Knesset or the government, and who empowered the Attorney General in the case of the Reform? Rabbi Gafni noted that the Knesset recognizes the Chief Rabbinate as the sole rabbinic body. "If we want pluralism, why just the rabbinate? We can do it in the Transport Ministry as well. Why just one office to give out licenses for automobiles. Let's get pluralistic and set up several competing offices."
The Minister of Religious Services, Yaakov Margi, explained the background. "Two years ago there was an agreed upon budgetary solution for the Reform, which would recognize them as community organizers and they would be funded by the Ministry of Culture. Both sides accepted the agreement. Now those who filed the suit did so in violation of this agreement. The suit is not really about funds but about the title "rabbi." In fact the suit was spiteful and really intended to hold up appointments or rabbis for various communities, that has been in process since 2005."
Earlier Margi made more sensational charges. He said, "Several of the judges who heard the case should have recused themselves for lack of objectivity and conflicts of interest. One of the judges who heard the case received an award from the Reform movement. Another judge even noted in the court protocol that he had once represented the Reform movement for pay. Another judge said that he was a good friend of one of those filing the suit and had learned with him in the past. One of the attorneys representing the government was married in a Reform ceremony."
