None of the Likud Party's promises in the coalition agreement
have been carried out so far. No solution has been found for
the problems plaguing religious services, no change on the
issue of education—nothing.
At a meeting with Prime Minister's Office Director Ilan
Cohen, MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni (Degel HaTorah) complained about
the lack of discernible progress, placing emphasis on
mikveh matters. Many mikveh workers have
retired but replacements have not been hired. Some mikvehs
have even been closed as a result.
Cohen explained that bringing in new workers would require
legislative changes since the law passed as part of the
economic program prohibits bringing in new workers to take
the place of those who have been retired. Rabbi Gafni said a
coalition agreement is a coalition agreement and if the law
has to be amended it should be amended quickly, before Degel
HaTorah's trial period in the coalition comes to an end.
One of the proposals raised at the meeting was to appoint
Rabbi Gafni or fellow Degel HaTorah MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz
to the Prime Minister's Office as deputy minister of
religious services. This, of course, would be in addition to
deputy minister of welfare, a post with no minister to serve
under. Reviving an idea first suggested during the coalition
negotiations between UTJ and the Likud, Cohen pointed out
that it would allow Degel HaTorah to keep close tabs on what
was being done or not being done in the realm of religious
services, to take charge of the matter and to put affairs in
order.
Thus the Prime Minister, through the director of his
ministry, tried to free himself of the obligation to address
the issue of religious services. Cohen is well aware of the
directive that Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah gave to Rabbis Gafni
and Ravitz not to accept any posts until the government
proves that it genuinely intends to ameliorate the situation
of religious services and to guarantee the independence for
chareidi education system. Thus Cohen must have known that
Degel HaTorah would not even consider his suggestions.
When pointless suggestions are made there may be more than
meets the eye.
A Speech for Chareidi Ears
Sharon, who has enough problems within the coalition and
within the Likud, would prefer not to irk Degel HaTorah
unnecessarily. At a time when he is trying to reel in Shas,
the last thing he needs is to lose support elsewhere.
But Sharon appears to be all words and no action. When he
paid a visit to MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, who was sitting
Shivoh, the Prime Minister spoke about the great
importance he attaches to religious services and how incensed
he was when he had learned that coalition promises were not
being kept. "Efforts must be made to restore religious
services in Israel to their former status," he intoned.
"Therefore I intend to devote more of my time [in efforts] to
achieve the required results."
Sharon also spoke on the issue of demographics, revealing
that he has received a proposal to set up a special fund to
be administered by Yad Vashem, charged with the task of
encouraging the Jewish birthrate in order to replace the
million-and-a-half Jewish children slaughtered during the
Holocaust.
Before ending the visit Sharon gave a reminder of his decades
of close ties with the chareidi sector. "I went to the homes
of the chareidi public and I saw their apartments," he
recounted. "I saw their plight and I did a serious round of
visits to a long line of Admorim. From them I learned
about the pressing needs of this public for funding of
religious services."
Speech for German Ears
Yet this warmth toward religious Jews was markedly absent
when he addressed a special meeting of the Knesset held in
honor of German Chancellor Horst Kohler just hours earlier.
There he boasted about Israel's achievements in the areas of
agriculture, high-tech, science, medicine, engineering and
culture, but did not utter a single world about the
tremendous growth in Torah over the past 60 years.
That the majority of Jews who went up in smoke were religious
Jews is no secret. Among the victims were innumerable
rabbonim, roshei yeshivos, Admorim and other
talmidei chachomim. An entire world of Torah and
Chassidus was wiped out.
Out of this devastation Torah has flourished once again with
hundreds of talmudei Torah, Bais Yaakov schools and
seminaries, yeshivas and kollelim.
Sharon knows all this, perhaps better than any other
politician. Yet he chose to speak about agriculture and high-
tech instead.
When dealing with MKs whose backing he needs Sharon speaks
glowing words on the importance of religious services while
apparently doing nothing.
