A delegation of Hassidic leaders and rabbis met Nov. 29 with Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel in what was considered a highly unusual event. So unusual, in fact, that it violated the boycott declared by the ultra-Orthodox community against the new government in which they are no longer represented. No official meetings have been held so far between ultra-Orthodox rabbis and representatives of the government, certainly not widely publicized ones such as the meeting with Hendel.
The rabbinical delegation included the Vizhnitz Rebbe, a leading member of the Torah Sages Council. Its mission was to dissuade Hendel from going through with a planned telecom market reform, which they view as a dire blow to the ultra-Orthodox. The rabbis urged Hendel to stay out of an arena that has been largely off limits to the Communications Ministry until now, which is non-smartphones used by the ultra-Orthodox.
