The ITIM organization on Tuesday petitioned the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, demanding that the candidacy of Amos Dror, who was placed sixth on the Shas Knesset list, be disqualified.
According to the petition, Dror, who serves as the head of the Haifa Religious Council, failed to resign from his position 100 days before the election, as ITIM says is required by law.
ITIM argues that Dror's position constitutes a senior executive public office and that he continues to hold the position and exercise its powers despite being placed on the Shas list.
The organization bases its petition on Section 7 of Basic Law: The Knesset and Section 56 of the Elections Law. According to ITIM, these provisions require senior public officials in the four highest ranks to resign at least 100 days before Election Day.
At the same time, ITIM approached the legal adviser to the Ministry of Religious Services, demanding that Dror be suspended and immediately placed on unpaid leave.
ITIM further argues that the law and Civil Service Regulations require a public employee to cease serving once his name is submitted as part of a Knesset candidate list. The organization also claims that public employees are prohibited from participating in election campaigning.
Rabbi Shaul Farber, chairman and founder of ITIM, said that religious services must remain state-run and separate from partisan political activity.
"Using the religious services system as a means of entering the political arena harms public trust in religious institutions," Farber said.
Attorney Yair Mevurchach Shag of ITIM's legal department said that active service in a public position cannot be combined with running on a party list.
"The cooling-off period is intended to prevent the mixing of public service with political and partisan activity," he said.
Dror, a reserve IDF major, served in the IDF for more than 25 years in the Logistics Corps, holding a variety of command and management positions.
Following his military service, he continued his public and social activities, founding and serving as chairman of the "Chesed Chaim Ve'Emet" nonprofit organization, which accompanies bereaved and grieving families.
Dror has served on the Haifa Religious Council for the past year and a half. He recently joined Shas and was placed sixth on the party's Knesset list.
ITIM is asking the chairman of the Central Elections Committee to determine that because Dror allegedly did not complete the required cooling-off period, his candidacy cannot stand.