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22 Sivan 5765 - June 29, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Demand to End Political Appointments at Jerusalem Religious Council

By Betzalel Kahn

The Organization for Fairness in Government contacted the Prime Minister and the Attorney General to demand new appointments to the Jerusalem Religious Council Executive Board, and the annulment of dozens of political appointments of Likud Center members along with their friends and relatives to that religious services body.

"It is unthinkable to appoint kashrus supervisors whose main qualification for the job is their membership in the Likud Center, for a kashrus supervisor must accept the authority of the rabbonim who oversee his work and they are the only ones who should approve the hiring of suitable mashgichim," reads a letter by R' Mordechai Eisenberg, chairman of the Organization for Fairness in Government.

"For many years the public in Eretz Yisroel and abroad has relied on the food kashrus in Jerusalem as one of the top kashrus supervisions in the country and now, within a short period of time, the takeover by Likud members and their friends has led to a situation in which rabbonim were dismissed or resigned and undesirable kashrus supervisors have been appointed, leading to the loss of the public's faith in the kashrus of the Jerusalem rabbinate."

In the letter, the Organization for Fairness in Government mentions the names of dozens of Likud Center members and relatives who recently received positions in kashrus supervision or in the administration of the Religious Council.

Eight months ago a request for the list of appointees and positions at the Religious Council was submitted based on the Freedom of Information Law, yet the Religious Council has failed to provide the information. "Given no alternative we had to cross check a partial list with a list of Likud Center members in our possession," writes Eisenberg, "and to our astonishment we discovered 20 political appointments involving personal interests—based only on a partial check. It is understandable why the current directors of the Religious Council have been avoiding producing the full list.

"This is without a doubt a corrupt process . . . resulting in accruing political power to the Likud Center, which will payback those handing out the jobs when the time comes. The Attorney General is asked to halt this large-scale corruption of appointments before the faith in religious services in Jerusalem is totally destroyed and the faith in public service in Israel irreparably harmed."

In the letter, the Organization for Fairness in Government asks the Attorney General to order the Religious Council to produce the requested list of employees and kashrus supervisors for public review.

 

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