In defense of Shas
Recently, the coalition negotiations with Kadima have brought up some very ugly epithets about Shas and its leadership. The political discourse has become rather unsightly. Regular readers of this column are aware that I am no great fan of Shas. Although some years ago I toyed with the idea of voting for the party, I feel that most Sephardim are not duly represented by Shas. In the two decades since its founding, little has been done to improve the lives of those impoverished Sephardim that are supposedly its constituency. Those who wish to defame Shas have pointed to the fact that many of their important decisions are made, not by their elected members of Knesset, but by a Council of sages, headed by Rav Ovadia Yosef. Restoring the Crown to its rightful place?
Recently a heated debate has occurred in the haredi world concerning the issue of organ donations. While most haredim would not dream of carrying an organ donor's card, a law that has just been passed in Israel may change some of the perceptions. The Knesset approved a law last Monday intended to regulate organ donations in compliance with Jewish Law. The bill was passed with the support of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, while United Torah Judaism voted against the law citing halacha. This law is the culmination of a very deep process of discussion between rabbis and doctors. The new law is supported by some of the major rabbis of both the religious-Zionist and Sephardi world, including Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and others. The law was opposed by the leader of the Lithuanian haredim, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. A leading in UTJ, MK Moshe Gafni explained at the Knesset plenum during the debate, "A brain dead person is a living being." Shas is an embarrassment
If one were to ask any Israeli which party is the most corrupt or which party will bend any which way to defend its own interests, many will reply Shas. I don't dismiss the fact that there could be anti-religious and anti-Sephardi sentiments involved on occasion, but Shas continues to look the part that is assumed to be theirs. Former leader Aryeh Deri is the quintessential villain of Israeli political corruption, after being the former darling of the political establishment. In addition Raphael Pinhasi, Yair Lev, Ofer Hugi and Yair Peretz have been convicted of offences including fraud and forgery. In addition, current MK Shlomo Benizri is currently on trial for accepting bribes. Over the years, Shas has sat in governments that signed peace treaties and sat in governments which disavowed peace moves. The originally named "Sephardi Keepers of the Torah", has stayed in governments whose fiscal policies were both conservative and liberal. It seems that any position can be justified as long as the important ministerial positions are readily available. |
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