Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with MKs of the United Torah Judaism party yesterday, and expressed his apologies for the "cold shoulder" he and his government have recently shown the hareidi public. Sharon called the meeting in the framework of political meetings he has been holding in the wake of his recent defeat in the Likud referendum regarding his unilateral Gaza withdrawal plan. Arutz-7's Haggai Seri reports that as a result of yesterday's get-together, Sharon gave the order not to "forcefully push through" matters having to do with the hareidi public. He also said he wished to maintain relations with the hareidi public, and appointed Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon to be responsible for these ties.
The hareidi population was particularly hard-hit by some of the economic reforms led by Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Some analysts see Sharon's "apology" as a behind-the-back snipe at Netanyahu, who did not actively support the unilateral withdrawal plan.
Rabbi Simcha Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rehovot, bemoaned today the continuing economic decrees upon the religious public in general. "In some Religious Councils, such as in Rehovot, workers have not received their salaries for eight full months - and in other cases, it's been over a year," he lamented today. "The Bnei Akiva yeshiva high schools, girls' high schools and hesder yeshivot [combining army service with Torah studies] had their budgets slashed sharply this month, and are barely able to survive."
Rabbi Yehuda Deri of Be'er Sheva, another member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, said that other yeshivot have also had their budgets slashed and, as of recently, must also pay property tax. Rabbi Deri laid the blame for the government's anti-religious slant on the Shinui party: "There is a certain party that has made it its goal to persecute the religious public," he said.
The hareidi population was particularly hard-hit by some of the economic reforms led by Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Some analysts see Sharon's "apology" as a behind-the-back snipe at Netanyahu, who did not actively support the unilateral withdrawal plan.
Rabbi Simcha Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rehovot, bemoaned today the continuing economic decrees upon the religious public in general. "In some Religious Councils, such as in Rehovot, workers have not received their salaries for eight full months - and in other cases, it's been over a year," he lamented today. "The Bnei Akiva yeshiva high schools, girls' high schools and hesder yeshivot [combining army service with Torah studies] had their budgets slashed sharply this month, and are barely able to survive."
Rabbi Yehuda Deri of Be'er Sheva, another member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, said that other yeshivot have also had their budgets slashed and, as of recently, must also pay property tax. Rabbi Deri laid the blame for the government's anti-religious slant on the Shinui party: "There is a certain party that has made it its goal to persecute the religious public," he said.