Tomb of the Baba Sali to be renovated
The tomb of the mythic Rabbi and Kabbalist is slated to receive a NIS 16 million upgrade to the site in order to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
As a result of this neglect, Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri (Shas) recently decided to authorize an NIS 8 million renovation project to establish a visitor and heritage center at the site.
Part of the budget comes from two government ministries, the Ministry for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee and the Ministry of Religious affairs, which will transfer the sum over the next three years.
An additional NIS 8 million will be raised by donations following Passover. All in all, the total renovation will cost around NIS 16 million.
The new complex will adopt a distinctly Moroccan style, in a gesture to the Baba Sali's living quarters in Morocco before he moved to Israel.
(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
