Shas Petitions Supreme Court Over Attorney General's Block on Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Conference
Shas has filed an urgent Supreme Court petition against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over her decision to cancel a state-funded memorial conference for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, citing selective enforcement compared to Rabin memorial events.
The Shas party has escalated its legal and public battle against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, filing an urgent petition to the Supreme Court through attorney Guy Bussi.
The petition targets the Attorney General's decision to reject the state-funded memorial conference dedicated to the memory and legacy of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, which was scheduled to be financed by the Ministry of Religious Services. Party officials expressed fury over the decision to block the event ahead of the elections, noting that the law explicitly mandates the ministry to hold an academic conference on or near the anniversary of the rabbi's passing.
According to the petitioners, an election period does not suspend the statute books of the State of Israel, and the decision severely hurts the feelings of hundreds of thousands of believers who viewed the rabbi as their spiritual guide. Shas launched a fierce attack, declaring that it is impossible to erase the rabbi's legacy or turn the public's deep affection for him into illicit election propaganda, while accusing the legal counsel of insensitivity and detachment.
Claims of Selective Enforcement
A central pillar of Shas's petition rests on allegations of selective enforcement by Baharav-Miara. The party points out that the state memorial events for late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin are set to proceed as planned just five days before the opening of the ballot boxes. They argue that a situation where one memorial event is postponed due to alleged partisan ties, while a parallel event even closer to election day proceeds without interference, raises grave concerns over the politically biased application of the law.
In contrast, the Attorney General's Office clarified last week that the directive applies exclusively to the state-funded academic conference, driven by concerns that it would transform into a platform for prohibited election propaganda. The Attorney General emphasized that no general instruction was issued to postpone memorial events, and that there is no obstacle to holding state and religious memorial ceremonies for the rabbi on their original dates.
The Chief Rabbi's Attack on the Attorney General
The legal storm unfolds against the backdrop of exceptionally harsh statements by Rishon LeZion Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, son of Rabbi Ovadia. During his weekly Torah lesson, Rabbi Yosef launched a direct and personal attack against the Attorney General over her decision to postpone the hillula event.
In his remarks, he called on the public not to heed her voice, questioned her standing to interfere with someone he defined as the giant of generations, and added severe wishes that God consume her and deliver her a punishing blow. These remarks, which made it clear that the spiritual leadership would not let the move pass in silence, set the highly charged public backdrop leading up to the current petition filed with the Supreme Court.
