Minister of Heritage & Jerusalem Affairs Rafi Peretz has appealed to the government's coronavirus project manager, Professor Ronni Gamzu, asking him to reconsider restrictions applied to synagogues.
"It is reasonable to consider allowing synagogues to accommodate up to 35% of their capacity, rather than just 10 people at any one time," he said. "We are just a short while before the months of Elul and Tishrei, months when synagogues attract millions of Israelis [for traditional Selichot prayers in Elul, and High Holyday prayers in Tishrei]. I am confident that you will be able to develop a plan that will enable synagogues to operate while adhering to regulations designed to curb the coronavirus epidemic."