Municipality News Archive 2001: Mayor Wantes All Rehovot Rabbis Be Equal

Rehovot Mayor Shuki Fohrer has called upon the Ministry of Religious Affairs to bring the salary and working conditions of the rabbi of the city's Ethiopian community, Harav Yitzhak Zagai, in line with that of Rehovot's other rabbis. He has been joined in his efforts by Chairman of the Histadrut in the Rehovot area, Amir Yaron, who has demanded that the Labor Court take action to rectify the injustice, reports Bamakom Hebrew weekly.

Chairman of Rehovot religious council Zerah Meshulam says that Harav Zagai already enjoys preferential conditions. "There is a government decision to give Ethiopian Kes and rabbis salaries for work in the community and he gets exactly what the Ministry for Religious Affairs and the government have determined. If Harav Zagai were not Ethiopian, he would have to wait a long time until a position for rabbi came up."

Currently, residents of the area south of Rehovot, including Mazkeret Batya, Kiryat Ekron and Gadera, are forced to travel to Rehovot in order to take the train, which passes directly by Mazkeret Batya.

Source: Rosalyn Harari. Focus on ...Rehovot & Rishon Lezion. JPost.com City Lights Edition (7 September 2001) [FullText]