MK Tzvi Succot Promotes Bill To Establish ‘Lubavitcher Rebbe Heritage Center’

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism), the Chairman of the Knesset Committee on Education, Culture and Sports, met on Tuesday with representatives of the Chabad Hasidic movement in Israel, prior to promoting legislation to enshrine the legacy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, and the Chabad Hasidic dynasty in the Knesset’s Education Committee.

According to the proposed bill, a “Lubavitcher Rebbe Heritage Center” will be established to commemorate for generations the Rebbe’s work and his unique contribution to bringing together various segments of Israeli society.

The bill was approved unanimously in a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum about nine months ago, with no objections or abstentions.

During that debate, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also spoke, announcing that he would not oppose the bill “out of respect.” Lapid said at the time: “I don’t want to take credit away from the bill’s sponsors, but it’s not accurate to say this is the first law to bring Chabad and its legacy into the statute book, as I did it earlier by turning Chabad emissaries into a form of national civic service.”

After the preliminary approval, the bill was transferred for preparation for a first reading to the Knesset Education Committee, then chaired by MK Yossi Taieb of Shas.

During the committee discussions, it emerged that there was internal opposition within Chabad to the bill: while senior activists and spiritual leaders in Chabad, led by Rabbi Moshe Shilat, supported the establishment of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Heritage Center, representatives of Tzeirei Chabad appeared before the committee and voiced strong opposition.

These representatives, led by Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov, used their political connections, ultimately blocking the advancement of the bill by the Shas committee chair.

Now, with MK Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionist party appointed as chair of the Education Committee, he has pledged to advance the bill that would lead to the establishment of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Heritage Center.

Sukkot said: “The legacy and vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, leader of the Chabad movement, influenced all shades of Judaism in Israel and around the world. I am proud to lead legislation that will promote the transmission of Chabad’s heritage and values—love of every Jew everywhere and adherence to the three integrities: the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and the Torah of Israel.

“It is a great privilege for me, as chair of the Education Committee and as a representative of the Jewish people in the Knesset, to advance this important step of recognizing the Rebbe’s immense contribution and the work of the Chabad movement in strengthening Jewish values among the people of Israel.”