Anti-Hareidi organization, Chiddush, admits: We failed

"The 18th Knesset completely failed in its treatment of religious freedom and equality of burden." This statement was determined by the organization "Chiddush - For Religious Freedom and Equality" – which had held over the last term a monitoring of these issues in the Knesset and published summary reports of Knesset terms, which were edited by the VP of the association -Shahar Ilan.

A report published by the association stated that "the 18th Knesset could not solve burning problems as the Tal Law, the exclusion of women or crisis of annulment of conversions. It passed the civil marriage law for those without religion which only worsened the situation in the marriage area. Other issues such as the core curriculum or standard time it showed incompetence and failed to correct the legal situation. Unfortunately one can not include even one significant achievement of the 18th Knesset in the issue of religion and the state. The achievement which it accumulated in the supervision teamwork of the Tal Law headed by MK Yohanan Plesner, it spent in failing to transfer the Equality in Burden law".

Shahar Ilan and Chiddush continue to list the "failures" of the previous Knesset and write that "In the issue of the Tal Law, the Knesset completely failed in the challenge of passing an alternative to the Tal Law which will ensure an equality of burden. That being, despite the vigorous and impressive activities of the Supervision Team for the Tal Law headed by MK Yohanan Plesner, during most of his term. The outcome: Although the Tal Law was abolished and there is a general recruitment requirement, no yeshiva student was drafted and a mass violation of the law was caused."

Also on the issue of the study of the core curriculum in Hareidi educational institutions, Shahar Ilan writes that "there has been no change in this area during the term. That is, after the previous Knesset passed a law that exempted the Yeshivos Ketanos (high school aged students) from the study of core curriculum. "

The Reform association continues and details in the summary report the topics in which the Knesset did not act properly according to it, in matters of religion and state and notes that "In the issue of marriage there was a deterioration. Bills for civil marriage and divorce fell over and over again. Initiated by Israel Beiteinu, a ridiculous version of the civil marriage law was passed. According to this version only those without religion can be registered only in "covenant of couples" and only with someone who is without religion too. The "Tzohar Law", also initiated by Israel Beiteinu, was supposed to open the marriage registration areas. But the law got stuck because of coalition considerations. In the subject of conversion there has also been no change. Israel Beiteinu tried to promote a very problematic bill, which would give the Chief Rabbinate a monopoly over conversions. Senior Dayanim in rabbinical courts launched an attack on the existing conversions to disable them. The Knesset offered no answer. "

Chiddush members also continue to report on the exclusion of women and DST, and to end Shahar Ilan writes that "This Knesset too acted as if the Finance Committee is registered in the name of Yahadut HaTorah and handed the chairmanship to a more forceful than ever committee chairman, Moshe Gafni. Gafni repeatedly used his position to transfer huge appropriations for religious purposes and to torpedo the moves of the equality of burden. Among other things, he led the struggle to thwart the recommendations of the Trachtenberg committee on Hareidi issues."

On the issue of the budget Shahar Ilan from Chiddush writes that "The budget for Yeshivos passed the billion shekels mark. Despite the Supreme Court order to cancel the support benefit for avreichim (Havtachat Hachnassah), payment of the pension continues. Chairman of the Finance Committee Gafni activated heavy pressure to freeze the criticism in meetings and to promote far reaching easing of testing procedures. "

At the conclusion of the report, Shahar Ilan writes that there are five things which they think should be done in the next Knesset, "A civilian government which will perform a revolution of freedom of religion and equality of burden, civil marriage and divorce, mandatory service - military or civilian, at the age of 18, an institution that will not teach the core curriculum will not receive a budget, and the head of the Finance Committee should be by the party that represents the majority. "

It seems that the chairman of Israel Beiteinu, Avigdor Lieberman, has unofficially acknowledged those insights. In his summary at a special meeting held on the last day the Knesset was dismissed, he acknowledged that "we did a hundred percent effort" though it did not always match the achievements in practice. He, of course, promised better results in the next Knesset.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!