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20 Ellul 5766 - September 13, 2006 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Chief Rabbi Metzger Says Transferring Religious Services to Local Authorities Would be Disastrous

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

Chief Rabbi Metzger issued an urgent demand to PM Ehud Olmert and Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson to cancel the paragraph in the 2007 Arrangements Law that would eliminate the religious councils (moatzot dat) and transfer religious services directly to the local authorities.

In his letter the Chief Rabbi said that experience shows even under the present circumstances in which the local authorities are responsible for funding just 40 percent of religious services, many local authorities have been slow to transfer their share and often their participation in funding religious services is the first paragraph to be affected by the need for budget cuts.

"This state of affairs has brought religious services in many cities and communities to the brink of total collapse and essential services such as burial, marriage and mikvehs is only made possible in these locations through budget allocations from the Prime Minister's Office," wrote Rabbi Metzger. "Transferring full budgeting responsibility to the local authorities would likely mean the immediate closure and cancellation of religious services in these communities."

He also said many people are crying out against the current situation, which is already intolerable, and asked the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister to prevent further deterioration by canceling the decision.

 

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