Tzedakah yes, Reform no

It's time to play everyone's favorite game again- "What has Shas screwed up now?" If you guessed something to do with the Budget, you win a free streimel (or one of those cool Rishon Letzion robe sets, World Championship Poker glasses not included).

Yes, it seems that freshman minister Yitzhak Cohen, who controls what Jewish institutions get to receive government funding, has decided to screw non-Orthos yet again, scuttling a 2005 move that might have deigned to throw them a bone:

In 2005, something changed. For the first time, the criteria for funding synagogues stipulated that funds must be earmarked in a manner that addresses all branches. Indeed, in September 2006 it was made known that the Housing Ministry intends to divide the 2005 buildings so that movable synagogues are earmarked to five non-Orthodox communities.

...In 2006, the budget for developing religious structures was transferred from the Housing Ministry to the national authority for religious services in the Prime Minister's Office. Not surprisingly, the criteria set by the authority for the same year, under the authority of Shas Minister Yitzhak Cohen, do not address non-Orthodox communities. They guarantee that things will remain the same, that is, perpetuation of the discrimination in resource distribution.

The Reform and Conservative communities in Israel need, for the most part, to operate under difficult conditions. Only a third of them operate in buildings they own, which were established through private donations only. Many communities make use of public buildings that do not match their needs in terms of availability and physical conditions. In many cases, the structure can only be used in a limited manner.

Ah, kind of like the way haredi institutions operated for hundreds of years until some decided that asking for government assistance as part of political blackmail was easier than fund-raising.

Many communities where non-Orthodox communities are active feature Orthodox synagogues operating in public buildings. In Netanya, for example, there are 220 active Orthodox synagogues, with at least several dozen operating in public buildings. On the other hand, the only Reform community in town has not been offered a suitable place to hold its activities to this day, and its continued existence is now in danger.

Yes, but that's the Reform Jews' fault for not having their own political party, like the Hasidim, Misnagdim, Sephardim or old folks. Get on the ball, guys. Where's the Reform Shas?