Rabbi Yuval Cherlo, the head of ethics in the Tzohar rabbinical organization, said, Monday, that he strongly opposes continued operation of the slot machines at the center of an argument between the Pais national lottery and the Finance Ministry.
Cherlo said it was invalid to argue that social development be funded by the social strata who are drawn to gambling because of economic hardship. He said this was backed up by a number of perspectives within Judaism. In the past, Tzohar has come out against building a casino in Israel. Chairman David Stav said, "We don't want to grow a society of easy money. Judaism does not recogize illusions.