Mazal Mualem, Jonathan Lis, Nadav Shragai
Rabbinic Courts To Justice Ministry
Thu Oct 9 10:04:35 2003
67.31.245.111

Gov't opts to move rabbinic courts to Justice Ministry

By Mazal Mualem, Jonathan Lis and Nadav Shragai



The National Religious Party faction in the Knesset
decided last night to recommend to the party's
central committee that it quit the coalition -
unless the government rescind yesterday morning's
decision to move the rabbinical courts to the
Justice Ministry and the chief rabbinate to
another aegis. The party's central committee is
slated to convene after Sukkot in two weeks.




During the meeting last night
faction chairman MK Shaul
Yahalom proposed that the
party's two ministers - Effi
Eitam and Zevulun Orlev - stay
away from cabinet meetings
until the crisis is resolved.

The crisis broke out over the
NRP's insistence that the

rabbinical courts and the chief rabbinate be
kept together and moved to the Prime Minister's
Office, and not to the Justice Ministry, as
decided yesterday morning in a stormy cabinet
meeting that saw the NRP ministers storm out
before an 18-3 vote when they realized they
would lose.

The NRP is particularly outraged at Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, since only the night
before yesterday's decision Sharon met with the
chief rabbis and promised them the breakup of
the Religious Affairs Ministry would not
impinge on their authority.

But yesterday morning, before the ministers met
for their weekly cabinet session, Sharon heard
from Shinui leaders Justice Minister Yosef
Lapid, Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, and
National Infrastructures Minister Yosef
Paritzky that they would quit the government if
the government did not implement Shinui's deal
with the Finance Ministry to dismantle the
Religious Affairs Ministry and move the
rabbinical courts to the Justice Ministry.

Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev said later
that moving the rabbinical courts to the
staunchly secularist Lapid's ministry "is like
moving the Defense Ministry to Ahmed Tibi's
jurisdiction."

Lapid later said that the manner in which the
religious ministers referred to him was
reminiscent of his days as a child in
Holocaust-era Hungary, "when I was a Jew among
goyim." He said he was outraged that he, "a
Holocaust survivor ... is not considered Jewish
enough by certain people to be responsible for
the rabbinical courts in the Justice
Ministry."

NRP Chairman and Housing Minister Eitam
responded just as vehemently. "We are in the
midst of a serious and unparalleled crisis -
Shinui is exploiting secular humanism in an
effort to erase Israel's Jewish identity," he
said, adding the "unfortunate government
decision ... humiliates the chief rabbinate and
causes damage to the Jewish character of the
state."

The three ministers voting against the breakup
of the Religious Affairs Ministry were
Ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Benny Elon and Uzi
Landau.

The cabinet voted to do away with the ministry
by the end of the year. The chief rabbinate
will remain the highest religious authority for
rabbinical courts, but while the courts will be
administered through the Justice Ministry, the
chief rabbinate will be a separate body. The
two NRP ministers cited the separation of the
rabbinical courts from the chief rabbis as an
example of ignorance of Judaism on the part of
the government.

"Shinui is a heavy-handed faction and it is
impossible to conduct a dialogue with them,"
said NRP deputy minister Yitzhak Levy, a former
NRP chairman, while the current Knesset faction
chairman Shaul Yahalom blasted Shinui for
creating "a false coalition crisis over the
future of the Religious Affairs Ministry when
the party's real goal is to damage Israel's
image as a Jewish state and wipe out all
religious services."

Earlier in the day, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Amar
said Sharon's deal with Shinui was "a
declaration of war" against religious
institutions. Amar said that Sharon had
promised him and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona
Metzger that he would not cut off the
rabbinical courts from the chief rabbinate.
Amar said that the two institutions must be
kept together, though he did not rule out
becoming part of the Justice Ministry.

Shas leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef meanwhile wrote
to Sharon on Tuesday, urging him not to do away
with the Religious Affairs Ministry and not to
separate the chief rabbinate from the
rabbinical courts. Yosef wrote he was "shocked"
by the decision to separate the two entities.

One proposal for a compromise is for the chief
rabbinate to be moved to the Prime Minster's
Office, keeping its authority over the
rabbinical courts that would go to the Justice
Ministry.




NRP Minister Effi Eitam, left, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar meeting yesterday.
(Lior Mizrahi / BauBa)





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Gov't opts to move rabbinic courts to Justice Ministry

By Mazal Mualem, Jonathan Lis and Nadav Shragai



The National Religious Party faction in the Knesset
decided last night to recommend to the party's
central committee that it quit the coalition -
unless the government rescind yesterday morning's
decision to move the rabbinical courts to the
Justice Ministry and the chief rabbinate to
another aegis. The party's central committee is
slated to convene after Sukkot in two weeks.




During the meeting last night
faction chairman MK Shaul
Yahalom proposed that the
party's two ministers - Effi
Eitam and Zevulun Orlev - stay
away from cabinet meetings
until the crisis is resolved.

The crisis broke out over the
NRP's insistence that the

rabbinical courts and the chief rabbinate be
kept together and moved to the Prime Minister's
Office, and not to the Justice Ministry, as
decided yesterday morning in a stormy cabinet
meeting that saw the NRP ministers storm out
before an 18-3 vote when they realized they
would lose.

The NRP is particularly outraged at Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, since only the night
before yesterday's decision Sharon met with the
chief rabbis and promised them the breakup of
the Religious Affairs Ministry would not
impinge on their authority.

But yesterday morning, before the ministers met
for their weekly cabinet session, Sharon heard
from Shinui leaders Justice Minister Yosef
Lapid, Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, and
National Infrastructures Minister Yosef
Paritzky that they would quit the government if
the government did not implement Shinui's deal
with the Finance Ministry to dismantle the
Religious Affairs Ministry and move the
rabbinical courts to the Justice Ministry.

Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev said later
that moving the rabbinical courts to the
staunchly secularist Lapid's ministry "is like
moving the Defense Ministry to Ahmed Tibi's
jurisdiction."

Lapid later said that the manner in which the
religious ministers referred to him was
reminiscent of his days as a child in
Holocaust-era Hungary, "when I was a Jew among
goyim." He said he was outraged that he, "a
Holocaust survivor ... is not considered Jewish
enough by certain people to be responsible for
the rabbinical courts in the Justice
Ministry."

NRP Chairman and Housing Minister Eitam
responded just as vehemently. "We are in the
midst of a serious and unparalleled crisis -
Shinui is exploiting secular humanism in an
effort to erase Israel's Jewish identity," he
said, adding the "unfortunate government
decision ... humiliates the chief rabbinate and
causes damage to the Jewish character of the
state."

The three ministers voting against the breakup
of the Religious Affairs Ministry were
Ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Benny Elon and Uzi
Landau.

The cabinet voted to do away with the ministry
by the end of the year. The chief rabbinate
will remain the highest religious authority for
rabbinical courts, but while the courts will be
administered through the Justice Ministry, the
chief rabbinate will be a separate body. The
two NRP ministers cited the separation of the
rabbinical courts from the chief rabbis as an
example of ignorance of Judaism on the part of
the government.

"Shinui is a heavy-handed faction and it is
impossible to conduct a dialogue with them,"
said NRP deputy minister Yitzhak Levy, a former
NRP chairman, while the current Knesset faction
chairman Shaul Yahalom blasted Shinui for
creating "a false coalition crisis over the
future of the Religious Affairs Ministry when
the party's real goal is to damage Israel's
image as a Jewish state and wipe out all
religious services."

Earlier in the day, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Amar
said Sharon's deal with Shinui was "a
declaration of war" against religious
institutions. Amar said that Sharon had
promised him and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona
Metzger that he would not cut off the
rabbinical courts from the chief rabbinate.
Amar said that the two institutions must be
kept together, though he did not rule out
becoming part of the Justice Ministry.

Shas leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef meanwhile wrote
to Sharon on Tuesday, urging him not to do away
with the Religious Affairs Ministry and not to
separate the chief rabbinate from the
rabbinical courts. Yosef wrote he was "shocked"
by the decision to separate the two entities.

One proposal for a compromise is for the chief
rabbinate to be moved to the Prime Minster's
Office, keeping its authority over the
rabbinical courts that would go to the Justice
Ministry.




NRP Minister Effi Eitam, left, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar meeting yesterday.
(Lior Mizrahi / BauBa)





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Who's watching the defense budget?

Only an elite few, know what the true defense budget -the heaviest item in the state budget - is, or how it is compiled.

By Moti Bassok

The side salads were the highlight

There is a sense of openness, but something preposterous, perhaps even outrageous, in seeing a huge aquarium suspended from the ceiling over the open kitchen area.

By Daniel Rogov




Gov't opts to move rabbinic courts to Justice Ministry

By Mazal Mualem, Jonathan Lis and Nadav Shragai



The National Religious Party faction in the Knesset
decided last night to recommend to the party's
central committee that it quit the coalition -
unless the government rescind yesterday morning's
decision to move the rabbinical courts to the
Justice Ministry and the chief rabbinate to
another aegis. The party's central committee is
slated to convene after Sukkot in two weeks.




During the meeting last night
faction chairman MK Shaul
Yahalom proposed that the
party's two ministers - Effi
Eitam and Zevulun Orlev - stay
away from cabinet meetings
until the crisis is resolved.

The crisis broke out over the
NRP's insistence that the

rabbinical courts and the chief rabbinate be
kept together and moved to the Prime Minister's
Office, and not to the Justice Ministry, as
decided yesterday morning in a stormy cabinet
meeting that saw the NRP ministers storm out
before an 18-3 vote when they realized they
would lose.

The NRP is particularly outraged at Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, since only the night
before yesterday's decision Sharon met with the
chief rabbis and promised them the breakup of
the Religious Affairs Ministry would not
impinge on their authority.

But yesterday morning, before the ministers met
for their weekly cabinet session, Sharon heard
from Shinui leaders Justice Minister Yosef
Lapid, Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, and
National Infrastructures Minister Yosef
Paritzky that they would quit the government if
the government did not implement Shinui's deal
with the Finance Ministry to dismantle the
Religious Affairs Ministry and move the
rabbinical courts to the Justice Ministry.

Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev said later
that moving the rabbinical courts to the
staunchly secularist Lapid's ministry "is like
moving the Defense Ministry to Ahmed Tibi's
jurisdiction."

Lapid later said that the manner in which the
religious ministers referred to him was
reminiscent of his days as a child in
Holocaust-era Hungary, "when I was a Jew among
goyim." He said he was outraged that he, "a
Holocaust survivor ... is not considered Jewish
enough by certain people to be responsible for
the rabbinical courts in the Justice
Ministry."

NRP Chairman and Housing Minister Eitam
responded just as vehemently. "We are in the
midst of a serious and unparalleled crisis -
Shinui is exploiting secular humanism in an
effort to erase Israel's Jewish identity," he
said, adding the "unfortunate government
decision ... humiliates the chief rabbinate and
causes damage to the Jewish character of the
state."

The three ministers voting against the breakup
of the Religious Affairs Ministry were
Ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Benny Elon and Uzi
Landau.

The cabinet voted to do away with the ministry
by the end of the year. The chief rabbinate
will remain the highest religious authority for
rabbinical courts, but while the courts will be
administered through the Justice Ministry, the
chief rabbinate will be a separate body. The
two NRP ministers cited the separation of the
rabbinical courts from the chief rabbis as an
example of ignorance of Judaism on the part of
the government.

"Shinui is a heavy-handed faction and it is
impossible to conduct a dialogue with them,"
said NRP deputy minister Yitzhak Levy, a former
NRP chairman, while the current Knesset faction
chairman Shaul Yahalom blasted Shinui for
creating "a false coalition crisis over the
future of the Religious Affairs Ministry when
the party's real goal is to damage Israel's
image as a Jewish state and wipe out all
religious services."

Earlier in the day, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Amar
said Sharon's deal with Shinui was "a
declaration of war" against religious
institutions. Amar said that Sharon had
promised him and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona
Metzger that he would not cut off the
rabbinical courts from the chief rabbinate.
Amar said that the two institutions must be
kept together, though he did not rule out
becoming part of the Justice Ministry.

Shas leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef meanwhile wrote
to Sharon on Tuesday, urging him not to do away
with the Religious Affairs Ministry and not to
separate the chief rabbinate from the
rabbinical courts. Yosef wrote he was "shocked"
by the decision to separate the two entities.

One proposal for a compromise is for the chief
rabbinate to be moved to the Prime Minster's
Office, keeping its authority over the
rabbinical courts that would go to the Justice
Ministry.




NRP Minister Effi Eitam, left, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar meeting yesterday.