Attorney General: Memorial conference for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef - only after the elections
Gali Baharav-Miara clarified that an academic conference to commemorate Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, which the Ministry of Religious Services requested to hold with government funding before the elections, can only take place after them. However, the memorial service and state ceremonies can proceed as planned. Attorney General: "Both goals will be preserved - both the commemoration of the Rabbi and the maintenance of election fairness."
The Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, clarified this morning, Wednesday, to the Ministry of Religious Services that the memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, which the ministry requested to hold with government funding before the elections, can only take place after them. However, the Attorney General emphasized that there is no impediment to holding the memorial service and state ceremonies, and that no general directive was given to postpone the memorial events for the Rabbi.
The response was sent to the Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services, Yehuda Avidan, in accordance with the position of the Deputy Attorneys General and with the consent of the Attorney General. This follows claims regarding the memorial events. "There is no dispute regarding the public importance of commemorating the honorable Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory," it was written, alongside a clarification that "any claim that something was done to diminish his honor is baseless." In her letter, she noted that the day of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's passing, the 3rd of Cheshvan, falls this year on October 14.
The letter distinguishes between the memorial service and state ceremonies, which can be held, and another event that the Ministry of Religious Services seeks to hold with government funding between October 6 and October 17. "No general directive was given regarding the holding or postponement of the memorial events for the Rabbi, of blessed memory, including the memorial service and state ceremonies, and it is clear that there is no impediment to holding them," it was clarified. Other memorial events can also be held with non-governmental funding.
The limitation concerns an "academic conference" that the ministry requested to hold under the law for the commemoration of the memory of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The letter noted that the conference includes, among other things, "experiential content and exhibits" and receives extensive media coverage. In light of election propaganda laws, the Attorney General's position is that this event, insofar as it is held with government funding, can be held after the elections on October 27.
The response also mentions that the Ministry of Religious Services itself requested not to hold the conference on the day of the memorial service and in proximity to election day, but rather starting from October 6, eight days before the memorial service. "Following the same logic, it is possible to hold the 'academic conference' after the elections, provided that it is a 'date close' to the day of the memorial service," it was written.
At the end of her letter, she concluded that this way "both goals will be preserved - both the commemoration of the Rabbi and the maintenance of election fairness."
The decision comes against the backdrop of sharp criticism heard around the event and the fear that it would be used for the election propaganda needs of Shas. Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and spiritual leader of Shas, sharply attacked the Attorney General following the decision and said that she is "messing with the teacher, the greatest of the generations."
According to him, "the anniversary of the Rabbi is coming, to hold a memorial service for him as it should be, as is fitting for his honor," and he claimed that the Attorney General is preventing a rally in memory of his father due to its proximity to the elections.
On the other hand, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's daughters, Adina Bar-Shalom and Rivka Chikotai, actually supported the Attorney General's position and criticized Shas. Bar-Shalom clarified that the Attorney General did not ask to prevent the holding of the memorial service, but rather its funding from the state budget, for fear that the event would turn into an "election rally."
Chikotai said that it would have been appropriate to transfer responsibility for the events to the family, in order to hold a "state and worthy memorial service - and not elections." The two also claimed that Shas does not follow the path of their father and does not uphold his legacy.
