Judge Noam Solberg, who chairs Israel's Central Elections Committee, issued a ruling Sunday partially granting a petition against the "3rd of Elul: Saluting the Path" events scheduled at Binyanei Ha'uma in Jerusalem. The gathering marks the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. At the heart of the decision is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's appearance in a promotional video for the event.
Petitioner Kobi Eisen argued that featuring Smotrich in the video during an election period, as part of an event funded by public money, constitutes prohibited campaign advertising. According to the ruling, Jerusalem Municipality's Department of Torah Culture is contributing at least 5,942,716 shekels to the event, and may be its sole funder.
The municipality claimed the promotional video was produced by an outside party. Solberg rejected the relevance of this defense, determining that Smotrich's appearance in the video presents him as a "known, desirable and leading" public figure in a manner likely to influence voters toward the party he heads.
Event organizers did not present the full program to the Elections Committee, leaving unclear whether Smotrich or other elected officials would appear on stage. The judge emphasized that during election periods, the prohibition on using public resources for campaign purposes is particularly strict.
