An initiative that allowed many Israelis to visit cultural and heritage sites across the country for free on the weekends will cease to exist according to a report on the army radio on Monday, which Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu denied.
The Israeli Shabbat initiative won't be able to offer free entrance to historical sites and museums anymore since, according to the report, Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit Party) decided not to extend its funding. According to the report, Eliyahu doesn't want to invest funds in a venture that offers the "desecration" of the Sabbath, according to Jewish law. Eliyahu later said in a tweet that he would be happy for the program to continue but that there wasn't enough budget for it.
Israeli Shabbat offers Israelis free entrance to any of a list of 100 heritage sites on Friday and on Saturday. The venture was launched in March 2021 by then-culture minister Chili Troper. Many of these heritage sites have shared on social media that they will no longer be able to offer free admission at the entrance because of the cancellation of the mentioned budget.
Eliyahu spoke on Monday about his decision on Kol Barma, a haredi (ultra-orthodox) station and said clinically: "I have a new project that I want to promote, it's called 'Traditional Friday'. The goal is to bring Jews together to come to the synagogue for Shabbat prayer, this is a more important project than an Israeli Shabbat."
The Heritage Ministry responded on Monday that it has been working since its establishment a few months ago to "formulate various plans and initiatives that would strengthen the national heritage." According to the ministry, "until the state budget is approved by the Knesset, the ministry cannot allocate a budget for activities that were not within its scope of authority until recently, including the 'Israeli Shabbat' initiative. With the approval of the state budget, the ministry will promote a series of projects and initiatives that will expand and make our national heritage accessible to the public, in diverse and innovative ways."
Netanyahu promised the project will continue
In January, it was decided that the Israeli Shabbat project will continue as usual, according to a joint statement by the Prime Minister's Office and the Culture and Sports Ministry. According to the statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Culture and Sports Minister MK Miki Zohar clarified the situation in a conversation between them. Zohar stated that he wants the initiative for the activities to come from the funded entities and not from the ministry itself, but funding and the content of the activity would not be harmed.
Former culture and sports minister Chili Tropper said in January that he welcomes "the fact that the ‘Israeli Shabbat’ project will continue to operate as usual. Not everything is politics. Sometimes the truth is simple: all Israelis, religious and secular, those who can reach and those who can’t, will be able to continue to come every weekend to more than 100 heritage sites and museums throughout the country and connect with our heritage and our culture."
Zohar had defended himself against critics who blasted him for freezing subsidized cultural events on Shabbat during an interview on KAN Reshet Bet Monday morning.
In the coalition agreements, it was determined that this venture would be moved to the Heritage Ministry under the leadership of Eliyahu, who reportedly decided not to continue the project.
Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel said on Monday that it would "work together tirelessly," with the ministry, "in order for the activity to be renewed."
The opposition was outraged by this report. Chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, MK Oded Forer responded and said that "the cancellation of the 'Israeli Shabbat' project is another example of the Israeli government's activity against its citizens, religious and non-religious. They established a Heritage Ministry whose first action is to reduce the inheritance of the Zionist heritage in Israel."