Leaders of Israel’s Arabs appealed this week to senior rabbis for help in resolving the severe financial crisis of the Arab municipalities.
The secretariat of the Arab Council of Mayors met in Shfaram on Tuesday, with their agenda geared to presenting grievances to the leaders of the Orthodox “haredi” community, including Rabbi Eliezer Schach and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual mentors of Degel HaTorah and Shas.
“We arc sure the rabbis arc sensitive to our problems. Perhaps they can help where the politicians failed,” said Mohammad Zeidan, mayor of Kafr Manda and a spokesman for the Arab mayors.
Both religious leaders were stars this week at the convention of Degel HaTorah, as the entire nation heard the speech of Schach, who apparently tipped the coalition scale in favor of Likud.
Arab municipalities have been promised some $51 million in loans to help overcome their deficits, but the loans did not come through due to bureaucratic difficulties with the banks.
Their financial crisis will be at the core of Land Day events Friday, which has become the annual protest day of Israel’s Arabs against their alleged discrimination by the authorities.
The Arab mayors said they would also appeal to President Chaim Herzog, “who has shown sympathy to our problems.”
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