Shas chairman Rabbi Aryeh Deri has announced a new initiative under which every boy in Israel who reaches bar mitzvah age will receive a free set of tefillin (phylacteries) and a prayer shawl through the education system.
Shas has committed to working to advance the program, called "Tefillin for Every Boy," as well as to work to require the establishment of designated prayer spaces in schools for boys who wish to put on tefillin and pray.
Earlier this year, the Education Ministry issued an official director-general's circular establishing a nationwide guideline for prayer spaces and the laying of tefillin (phylacteries) in state schools, but it is not anchored in law.
Deri presented the initiative in a statement placing Jewish identity at the center of Shas' election promises. According to Deri, the program is intended to strengthen young people's connection to Jewish tradition and ensure that every boy reaching bar mitzvah age has access to the religious items needed to fulfill the mitzvah of wearing tefillin.
Under the proposed program, the education system would be responsible for providing a Bar Mitzvah package to every boy turning 13. The package would include a pair of tefillin and a prayer shawl, regardless of whether his family can purchase them.
Deri linked his announcement to the public debate over religion's place in the public sphere, saying, "Lately, we have been hearing harsh statements that threaten the Jewish identity of the State of Israel."
"They want to turn it into a country like all other nations. That will never happen."
He also presented the commitment as a political response to Yair Golan, following Golan's call to "remove religion from the public sphere."