The Chief Rabbinate Council decreed yesterday that a fast day will be held next Wednesday to underline the “seriousness and painfulness” of the withdrawal from Sinai and to pray that the government “consider its steps and decisions” in this respect. But the Council stopped short of actually opposing the withdrawal.
Wednesday is the day before Rosh Hodesh Nissan, also known as “Yom Kippur Katan” (minor Yom Kippur), on which ultra-Orthodox Jews always fast and recite special prayers. The Council decision linked the day specifically to the Imminent withdrawal from Sinai.
Chairing the meeting was Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who is regarded as more moderate than his Ashkenazi counterpart, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren. The decision was unanimously approved by the ten man Council.
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