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21 Iyar 5764 - May 12, 2004 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Opinion & Comment
Politica: Hanegbi Makes Appointments

By E. Rauchberger

Internal Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi surprised both police and the media with his decision to appoint Southern Region Commander Moshe Karadi, the youngest of all the major generals in the police force, to the post of police commissioner. Just 44 years old and in a few months he'll be Israel's top cop. But to those who know Hanegbi his choice should come as no surprise.

Tzachi Hanegbi is known for his great fondness for political appointments. He built up his power in the Likud Center by handing out jobs to his friends and associates. But alas, there is a slight problem at the Ministry of Internal Security: the lack of political appointments. It's a bit hard to make his buddies and members of the Likud Center into high- ranking police commanders.

By appointing Karadi, Hanegbi was able to solve his problem. Not placing a veteran police officer in the post promises to result in a series of appointments in the upper ranks of the police force during the coming year. For the moment the youngest commander is named police commissioner, realizing they have no longer any chance of getting promoted to the top of the hierarchy, presumably all -- or certainly most -- of the 20-odd older commanders will resign in the near future, allowing Hanegbi to fulfill his great ambition--appointments. Such a smorgasbord of appointments and promotions for young officers as the upheaval expected in the police force in the coming year -- at least 30 or 40 posts -- has not been seen for a long time.

Every ranking officer invariably has friends, relatives, neighbors and acquaintances in the Likud Center. Outside Hanegbi's offices a long line of people asking for coveted promotions and appointments for one ranking police officer or another is certain to form. Hanegbi will have an abundant arsenal of appointments at his disposal, meaning he will have no problem supplying the goods for almost all comers. As long as these Likud Center and other party members remember him when the time comes.

How Talmudei Torah "Celebrate" Independence Day

Knesset Education Committee chairman Ilan Shalgi (Shinui) does not pass up any opportunity to raise issues that goad the chareidi public and the chareidi education system. If someone bothers to check the statistics he will be sure to find the relative number of committee meetings dedicated to religious issues is far greater than in the past, when the committee chairman did not hail from Shinui.

Recently Shalgi decided to hold a meeting to discuss the latest "scandal" at chareidi educational institutions: the failure of talmudei Torah to close their doors on the Independence Day holiday. Of course cheder boys have always held classes as usual on this day, only until now nobody took any interest in the matter. Live and let live.

Then along came Shinui, the party that is always speaking out against religious coercion and touting freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of this and freedom of that.

Chareidi MKs realized immediately where the discussion was headed and they sat back to enjoy the show. Indeed Shalgi seemed to think all along he was conducting a meeting of great import and his expression became very serious as he listened to the following explanations.

MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni explained that Torah study brings joy and thus chareidi students express their happiness by learning on Independence Day. "There is one day in the year on which Torah study is forbidden and that's Tisha B'Av, for it is a day of mourning the destruction of the Temple. Do you want them not to study Torah on Independence Day as well, thereby turning it into a day of mourning?" Rabbi Gafni asked Shalgi.

Meshulam Nehari (Shas) chimed in by quoting Chazal: "Lo nitnu yomim tovim leYisrael ela kedei sheyeishvu vaya'asku beTorah." He then asked why it should be fine to wile away the day eating and drinking around the barbecue whereas Torah study is objectionable.

Thus if anyone still harbors the notion the Knesset is a place of serious matters and high-minded personages who come to engage in devorim sheberumo shel olom, it seems to me they can now dismiss such imagining.


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