Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Haim Goren, head of the Ma’aminim faction on the City Council, downplayed the uproar surrounding synagogue contracts in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, stressing that the claims being circulated in the media are baseless.
According to Goren, the issue is in fact the opposite of what has been reported: “Some problems did arise in the initial contracts with synagogue leaders, but they were addressed in full coordination with the gabbaim and the municipality’s legal advisors,” he explained.
Like in other municipalities, Tel Aviv is required by the Interior Ministry to regulate the status of synagogues located on municipal land. “The city must lease the building to a registered congregation under a proper and transparent allocation procedure, including official publication and the opportunity for objections,” Goren said. “This is the Interior Ministry’s procedure, and we follow it as do other authorities.”
In earlier drafts, however, there were clauses that did not suit Orthodox synagogues, such as requiring notification to the municipality about changes in furniture, or language demanding that services be open to all residents regardless of faith. Gabbaim approached Goren, who intervened: “We froze the process, held meetings for months, and rewrote the contracts together with synagogue representatives. The problematic clauses were removed.”
Goren emphasized that the new contracts, which are now being finalized, do not contain those controversial elements. “We corrected it. The contracts that will be signed from now on will not include that clause. This is a storm in a teacup. No one is coming with an agenda to harm synagogues.”
He added that anti-religious voices in the City Council are now pushing to restore the old wording, fueled by media coverage: “I could have closed this story quietly, but now the other side is also inflamed and wants to add new clauses. It’s unfortunate it has reached this point.”
Goren also criticized government officials who jumped on the story without checking the facts: “Some MKs and ministers rushed to issue statements without even asking. Others called me, got an explanation, and that was the end of it.”
The deputy mayor clarified that starting in the coming days, groups of synagogue representatives will be invited to City Council sessions to sign the corrected contracts, ensuring that Tel Aviv’s historic congregations can continue operating without interference.