Though the large cities won't feel it, much of the country is undergoing a "funerals" strike today. Local religious council employees, most of whom have not received their wages for up to a year or more, have announced that they will refuse to conduct burials today. Large cities have private burial societies, or , that are not affected by the strike, but there will be no official funerals today in regional councils such as Modiin, Kiryat Gat, Hatzor HaGelilit, Rosh HaAyin, Shomron and others.
In several instances, family members have had to dig graves themselves and with the help of friends. On the whole, they have no resentment against the unpaid workers, but rather towards the government for not paying them. The basic message of the strikers is, "Yes, this is a desecration of the dead - but not to be able to buy groceries is a desecration of the living." A former Religious Council head in Dimona said, "In my worst nightmares, I never dreamt that they would try to erase the religious councils in this manner."
In Hatzor, which last month was the first to strike, a sum of close to 150,000 shekels was suddenly received, courtesy of the Prime Minister's Office. "I called them this month to ask how much we would receive," said the local council secretary, "and they told me 22,000 shekels - and this is supposed to be divided among 13 workers and 10 pensioners. This is truly a government of Sodom."
The problem is jointly rooted in bureaucratic difficulties caused by the disbanding of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and many of the religious councils themselves, as well as fiscal difficulties faced by the municipalities. The Prime Minister's Office reported to Ynet, "We are working now on a comprehensive solution to the problems related to the provision of religious services... We are planning to begin the reorganization in October, including the enlistment of additional budgetary sources in order to pay at least some of the salaries."
Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger justified the striking workers, saying that the government is acting "immorally and illegally" in not paying their salaries.
In several instances, family members have had to dig graves themselves and with the help of friends. On the whole, they have no resentment against the unpaid workers, but rather towards the government for not paying them. The basic message of the strikers is, "Yes, this is a desecration of the dead - but not to be able to buy groceries is a desecration of the living." A former Religious Council head in Dimona said, "In my worst nightmares, I never dreamt that they would try to erase the religious councils in this manner."
In Hatzor, which last month was the first to strike, a sum of close to 150,000 shekels was suddenly received, courtesy of the Prime Minister's Office. "I called them this month to ask how much we would receive," said the local council secretary, "and they told me 22,000 shekels - and this is supposed to be divided among 13 workers and 10 pensioners. This is truly a government of Sodom."
The problem is jointly rooted in bureaucratic difficulties caused by the disbanding of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and many of the religious councils themselves, as well as fiscal difficulties faced by the municipalities. The Prime Minister's Office reported to Ynet, "We are working now on a comprehensive solution to the problems related to the provision of religious services... We are planning to begin the reorganization in October, including the enlistment of additional budgetary sources in order to pay at least some of the salaries."
Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger justified the striking workers, saying that the government is acting "immorally and illegally" in not paying their salaries.