Mazuz endorses selling of bread on Passover

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz published a legal brief Tuesday endorsing a recent court ruling that authorized the selling of leavened goods on Passover, as long as they are not publicly displayed.

The Jerusalem Municipal Court ruled that leavened goods may be sold inside stores and restaurants, as long as they are not put on display outside or at the shop window.

Mazuz noted that the State Prosecutor's Office did not intend to appeal the controversial ruling, as it fell in line with the State's stance.

He stressed that this stance in no way constituted a change in policy, on the contrary: "This has been the State's consistent policy over the years."

Mazuz wrote: "The 'Bread Law' was not aimed at prohibiting, and does not prohibit, the selling or consumption of leavened goods on Passover. The law bans business owners from publicly displaying leavened goods."

The attorney general explained that the law was meant to bar the display of leavened goods on Passover so as not to offend the public and in order to preserve the holiday's Jewish character in the public arena.

Religious MKs outraged

"The attorney general's decision underlines the need for instituting a law that will invalidate the ruling," Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said in response.

"I will say this again – the people of Israel will not change their ways because of some delusional ruling. We will propose a bill even if this contradicts the government's stance, although I'm sure there are those in the government who have already come to their senses and realized that this ruling is an affront to Judaism," he added.

NRP Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev also slammed Mazuz on the subject, saying: "The fact that the vast majority of the public does not eat leavened goods on Passover indicates that the original intent of the law's legislators completely contradicts this polemical legal interpretation."

Orlev also pledged to initiate an amendment to the law as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz) lauded Mazuz's stance: "This is a very important announcement. There is no other way to interpret the law other than the way the court interpreted it. "What needs to be done is not to amend the law, but to abolish it completely," she added.

Neta Sela and Amnon Meranda contributed to the report