Early Tuesday morning, the Knesset passed the first reading of a revised version of the “Rabbis Law,” which proposes changes to how religious councils receive funding.
The bill passed with 52 votes in favor and 38 against, and it now returns to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee for further review.
Under this legislation, the government would have the ability to provide additional funding to religious councils beyond their regular government budget. This extra funding would be allocated to cover salaries and hire additional staff.
The criteria for this extra funding would be established by the Minister of Religious Services, in consultation with the Minister of Finance. When a religious council meets these set criteria, the Ministry of Religious Services would be able to increase both funding and staff for that council.
The vote proceeded despite earlier criticism from MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) on Monday, who expressed dissatisfaction with the coalition’s handling of this bill, which was introduced by Shas, while other bills like the Draft Law and daycare subsidy bill remain stalled. Ultimately, United Torah Judaism allowed the bill to proceed to a first reading vote after securing a promise that the bill would not advance further without their approval.
{Matzav.com Israel}