Shas Chairman Eli Yishai
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Shas to introduce Chametz Law amendment
Party wants to change letter of the law so as to bar all sale of leavened foods during Passover. 'This isn’t a haredi law, it's a Jewish law,' says faction chair
Shas announced Tuesday it would be trying to amend the Chametz Law, ahead of the coming Passover, so as to bar any leavened foods from being sold.
"The courts' interpretation of the law has led to a situation in which chametz has been displayed (during Passover), crudely trampling over one of the Jewish people's symbols, which is observed by the majority," Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said.
Opinion
Yael Mishali
Yael Mishali bemoans public displays of Passover desecration, in Tel Aviv and elsewhere
"The court's definition of 'public,' which referrers to the sale of leavened foods only in public domain twists the legislator's original meaning, allowing for a situation in which, for example, a supermarket serving thousands of customers will be barred from selling leavened foods, but a vendor standing in a dark alley could do so," said the proposed amendment brief.
"The word 'public' should be stricken and leavened foods should be barred from any display in any business."
Shas Faction Chairman MK Avraham Michaeli: "This isn’t a haredi law, it's a Jewish law. We want to garner other Knesset members' support and reintroduce the amendment so everyone understands this isn’t a Shas law.
"Once we rally support we will bring the bill before the Knesset, in hopes it passes its second and third readings before the coming Passover. We will be introducing it to the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in its next meeting."
