Ministry of Religious Services
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The Ministry of Religious Services (Hebrew: המשרד לשירותי דת (HaMisrad leSherutay Dat) (formerly Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Religion) is a government ministry of Israel that handles Jewish religious affairs.
Responsibilities
The Ministry of Religious Services appoints religious councils and covers 40% of the shortfall in approved budgets for religious facilities and services; grants financial assistance to yeshivas; plans and finances the construction and renovation of synagogues and ritual baths; supervises Jewish holy places; organizes Torah teaching activities and outreach; organizes public religious celebrations; cultivates religious ties with Diaspora Jewry; certifies kashrut in public and government institutions; coordinates religious services of non-Jewish groups in Israel; plans supplementary religious education for underprivileged youth; provides Jewish ritual articles to new immigrants, schools and the needy; and provides budgets for the Chief Rabbinate and rabbinical courts.[1]
Religious Services minister
The Religious Services Minister of Israel (Hebrew: שר לשירותי דת, Sar LeShirutei Dat) is the political head of the Ministry of Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. The current minister is Naftali Bennett of The Jewish Home party. Eli Ben-Dahan serves as Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs.
The post was included in the provisional government, and was initially known as the Minister of Religions and War Victims. Upon the formation of the second government on 8 October 1951 it became the Minister of Religions. On 5 August 1981 the post was renamed Minister of Religious Affairs. The post was scrapped on 1 January 2004, but resurrected on 14 January 2008.
Most office holders have been religious Jews, though some were secular. Haim Yosef Zadok, a secular Jew, served twice, in 1974 and 1977.[2] During his short stints, Zadok worked to streamline the operation of the rabbinical courts and strengthen relations with the religious leaders of all faiths.[3] Zerach Warhaftig was the longest serving minister, holding the post for over 12 years between 1961 and 1974. In Benjamin Netanyahu's government the portfolio changed hands six times, with four people holding the post (Netanyahu three times and Eli Suissa twice).
List of Religious Services ministers
- Parties
Mizrachi/URF/HHaM/NRP Shas Alignment/Labor Likud Independent
No. | Name | Party | Term of office | Govt. (P.M.) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minister of Religions and War Victims (1948–1951) | |||||
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |1 | Yehuda Leib Maimon | Mizrachi United Religious Front |
May 14, 1948 | October 8, 1951 | Prov·1·2 (Ben-Gurion) |
Minister of Religions (1951–1981) | |||||
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |2 | Haim-Moshe Shapira | Hapoel HaMizrachi National Religious Party |
October 8, 1951 | July 1, 1958 | 3·4 (Ben-Gurion) 5·6 (Sharett) 7·8 (Ben-Gurion) |
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" |3 | Ya'akov Moshe Toledano | Not an MK | December 3, 1958 | October 15, 1960[1] | 8·9 (Ben-Gurion) |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |4 | Zerach Warhaftig | National Religious Party | November 2, 1961 | March 10, 1974 | 13 (Eshkol) 14·15 (Meir) |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |5 | Yitzhak Rafael | National Religious Party | March 10, 1974 | June 3, 1974 | 16 (Meir) |
style="background:Template:Israeli Labor Party/meta/color; color:white;" |(4) | Haim Yosef Zadok | Alignment (Labor) | June 3, 1974 | October 29, 1974 | 17 (Rabin) |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |(5) | Yitzhak Rafael | National Religious Party | October 30, 1974 | December 22, 1976 | |
style="background:Template:Israeli Labor Party/meta/color; color:white;" |(4) | Haim Yosef Zadok | Alignment (Labor) | January 16, 1977 | June 20, 1977 | |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |6 | Aharon Abuhatzira | National Religious Party | June 20, 1977 | August 5, 1981 | 18 (Begin) |
Minister of Religious Affairs (1981–2003) | |||||
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |7 | Yosef Burg | National Religious Party | August 5, 1981 | September 13, 1984 | 19 (Begin) 20 (Shamir) |
style="background:Template:Israeli Labor Party/meta/color; color:white;" |– | Shimon Peres (as PM) | Alignment (Labor) | September 13, 1984 | December 23, 1984 | 21 (Peres) |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |(7) | Yosef Burg | National Religious Party | September 13, 1984 | October 5, 1986 | |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |8 | Zevulun Hammer | National Religious Party | October 7, 1986 | June 11, 1990 | 21 (Peres) 22·23 (Shamir) |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |9 | Avner Shaki | National Religious Party | June 11, 1990 | July 13, 1992 | 24 (Shamir) |
style="background:Template:Israeli Labor Party/meta/color; color:white;" |10 | Yitzhak Rabin (as PM) | Labor | July 13, 1992 | February 27, 1995 | 25 (Rabin) |
style="background:Template:Israeli Labor Party/meta/color; color:white;" |11 | Shimon Sheetrit | Labor | February 27, 1995 | June 18, 1996 | 25 (Rabin) 26 (Peres) |
style="background:Template:Likud/meta/color; color:white;" |– | Benjamin Netanyahu (as PM) | Likud | June 18, 1996 | August 7, 1996 | 27 (Netanyahu) |
style="background:Template:Shas/meta/color; color:white;" |12 | Eli Suissa | Shas | August 7, 1996 | August 12, 1997 | |
style="background:Template:Likud/meta/color; color:white;" |– | Benjamin Netanyahu (as PM) | Likud | August 12, 1997 | August 22, 1997 | |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |(8) | Zevulun Hammer | National Religious Party | August 22, 1997 | January 20, 1998[1] | |
style="background:Template:Likud/meta/color; color:white;" |– | Benjamin Netanyahu (as PM) | Likud | January 20, 1998 | February 25, 1998 | |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |13 | Yitzhak Levy | National Religious Party | February 25, 1998 | September 13, 1998 | |
style="background:Template:Shas/meta/color; color:white;" |(12) | Eli Suissa | Shas | September 13, 1998 | July 6, 1999 | |
style="background:Template:Shas/meta/color; color:white;" |14 | Yitzhak Cohen | Shas | July 6, 1999 | July 11, 2000 | 28 (Barak) |
style="background:Template:Israeli Labor Party/meta/color; color:white;" |15 | Yossi Beilin | One Israel (Labor) | October 11, 2000 | March 7, 2001 | |
style="background:Template:Shas/meta/color; color:white;" |16 | Asher Ohana | Shas (not an MK) | March 7, 2001 | February 28, 2003 | 29 (Sharon) |
style="background:Template:Likud/meta/color; color:white;" |– | Ariel Sharon (as PM) | Likud | February 28, 2003 | December 31, 2003 | 30 (Sharon) |
Ministry abolished 2003. | |||||
Minister of Religious Services (2008– ) | |||||
style="background:Template:Shas/meta/color; color:white;" |(14) | Yitzhak Cohen | Shas | January 14, 2008 | March 31, 2009 | 31 (Olmert) |
style="background:Template:Shas/meta/color; color:white;" |17 | Ya'akov Margi | Shas | March 31, 2009 | March 18, 2013 | 32 (Netanyahu) |
style="background:Template:National Union-National Religious Party/meta/color; color:white;" |18 | Naftali Bennett | The Jewish Home | March 18, 2013 | Incumbent | 33 (Netanyahu) |
1 Died in office.
Deputy Ministers
- Parties
References
- ^ Ministry of Religious Affairs
- ^ Haim J. Zadok Israel Democracy Institute
- ^ Haim J. Zadok Israel Democracy Institute