MK Uriel Bosso (Shas) said he took pride in that Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri was the only MK to have fought for synagogues to remain open on Yom Kippur.
"After a long night of discussions, they decided that lockdown or not, synagogues will be closed for Yom Kippur depending on whether anti-government protests will be allowed to continue across from the Prime Minister's residence. This government is insane. Just one out of 35 ministers [who took part in the meeting] argued for synagogues to remain open on Yom Kippur, epxlaining to them how important this was," Bosso told Arutz Sheva.
"Keep in mind that synagogue attendance is not essential for me or Aryeh Deri. We'll be fine praying from home. But 90% of the not strictly observant population would still like to get a chance to participate in synagogue service on Yom Kippur," he said.
"The religious community has behaved responsibly for a while now. Even on Rosh Hashanah, there was a reduction in synagogue attendance and in fact, as early as Passover, synagogues were half-empty. But the anti-government demonstrators are the ones guilty of synagogue closings. They've placed their beliefs above everything else including national health. For us, Yom Kippur prayers are much more important than their demonstrations, but we're demonstrating responsible behavior for the public good, while they don't care about anyone," noted Bosso.
"The synagogue I attended last year had 500 people. This year, we prayed outside and there were 70-80. I asked my parents not to have dinner with me prior to the holiday and once it was over, we realized 500 activists participated in a holiday meal opposite the Prime Minister's residence. They're completely irresponsible," he concluded.