Ahead of Selichot: Holy Sites to Close to Visitors
The Religious Services Ministry announced that all holy sites across the country will close to visitors at the end of August, about a week and a half before Rosh Hashanah, due to a budget freeze ordered by the High Court of Justice. Ministry Director General Yehuda Avidan warned that operations would cease if no solution is found by the end of the month. The freeze stems from procedural flaws in the Knesset Finance Committee's deliberations. The budget included 33 million shekels for managing popular prayer sites.
The Religious Services Ministry announced today (Tuesday) that all holy sites across the country will close to visitors at the end of August, just a week and a half before Rosh Hashanah, when prayer sites are crowded with worshippers arriving for Selichot. This was reported to ynet. Ministry Director General Yehuda Avidan sent a letter to Israel Deri, deputy director of the National Center for the Development of Holy Sites, noting that the Finance Committee convened to discuss the budget, but on Wednesday, Judge Stein issued a temporary order delaying the execution of approved budget transfers. Avidan stated that without the authorization, there is no budgetary source, and therefore, if no solution is found by the end of August, operations will cease at the beginning of September. About a week ago, the High Court of Justice froze the fund transfers approved by the Finance Committee, including for religious purposes and for Haredi education networks, due to 'procedural flaws' in the discussion. The budget approved 33 million shekels for managing popular prayer sites, including Rachel's Tomb, the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and the tombs of Samuel the Prophet and King David in Jerusalem.