Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu all but overruled his Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar on Monday after the latter said he would stop funding cultural activities on Shabbat.
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Zohar's now-suspended decision outraged many secular Israelis who view Friday evening and Saturday as the most convenient time to spend with their family.
"The prime minister and Zohar held a conversation during which it was made clear that all the activities that are currently being funded by the ministry on Saturdays will get uninterrupted funding," Netanyahu's office said. "The minister stressed that the initiative to hold such events should come from the various organizations rather than from the minister, and this will be without interference with the actual funding and content."
The initiative in question, called "Israeli Shabbat", was launched in May 2021. It allows Israelis to enter museums and various cultural venues without pay on Friday and Shabbat. It also funds various other events that include educational programs and performing arts events all across the country. While the funding allowed for the waiving of entrance fees and did not go toward their operation on Shabbat or affect their opening hours.
Earlier on Monday, Zohar said that his decision was misreported. "Here is the truth: I never said or considered canceling events on denying funding from cultural venues open on Shabbat. The exact opposite is true. After assuming my job, I said that we will respect the existing status quo arrangement [a political deal that governs activities on Shabbat since the state's founding]," Zohar said. He added that the previous government breached the delicate balance by "actively promoting activities that happen on Shabbat, which was unprecedented for a minister, and this discriminated a large segment of the public."
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