The Ministerial Law Committee on Monday, 8 Shevat, decided to protect shul assets and declare outside the realm of items that can be confiscated in a collection process.

The final vote of the Ministerial Committee amends the state �hatza�ot l�poel� collection services law. The new law states that if the state collection agency issues an order to confiscate assets towards paying a debt, the furniture and contents of a shul, church and mosque are off-limits.

The author of the bill is MK (Shas) Yoav Ben-Tzur who explains the Torah teachers us that we should not confiscate the basics that one requires in an effort to collect a debt and he feels most of the items found in a shul are donated by mispallalim and confiscating such items borders on the absurd since all the mispallalim would suffer. Ben-Tzur explains that taking shul furniture to pay a water bill is unacceptable. He did however agree that a Sefer Torah could be taken and sold to pay a debt, perhaps if the shul owes a sofer money for writing a Sefer Torah or perhaps to a professional who installed air conditioners for if not, gabbaim could chas v�sholom take advantage of the status and not pay professionals for services.

(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem)