Journalist Amichai Attali published a scathing criticism Thursday of the "Tefillin for Every Child" program presented by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, under which Deri pledged that, in the next government, his party would work to provide every boy in Israel reaching bar mitzvah age with a set of tefillin and a tallit at state expense.
Attali argued that tefillin are already widely accessible in Israel to anyone who wishes to wear them, and that the new promise could lead to the creation of an unnecessary government bureaucracy that would, he claimed, enable the distribution of jobs and resources to political associates.
"Every child knows that Israel has an abundance of sets of tefillin. Every day, hundreds of people die and leave behind perfectly kosher tefillin," he wrote.
Attali pointed to tefillin stations set up in businesses and volunteer initiatives to purchase tefillin for soldiers, teenagers, and new immigrants.
According to him, "There is almost no one in Israel who wants tefillin and doesn't have them."
Later in his post, Attali described a scenario in which the program would lead to the establishment of a new government bureaucracy, complete with offices, officials, vehicles, and budgets.
"So why is Deri a genius? Because he's bringing in hundreds of soferim (scribes who write tefillin, mezuzot, and Torah scrolls) through the back door, who will make a living from his new bureaucracy. Because he's putting cash into the pockets of hundreds of thousands of haredim - they're already buying tefillin for their sons' bar mitzvahs anyway, so why not shift a substantial portion of the expense onto those who actually work and pay taxes?"
Attali continued with a sarcastic description of what he called the "National Tefillin Administration," arguing that it would become a source of political appointments.
"Another 20 Shas members will get jobs in the National Tefillin Administration. They'll rent spacious offices in a new building in Givat Shaul. There will be an exemption from the requirement to hold tenders, so the property owner will surely be a relative of some senior Shas official."
In his satirical description, he wrote that the administration would have leased cars, advisers, and various officials. He even suggested dividing responsibilities between an "adviser on Rashi tefillin" and an adviser on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin.
Attali continued his criticism by raising the possibility of a future split between a Sephardic Tefillin Administration and an Ashkenazi Tefillin Administration because of differences in the customs of the respective communities.
He mockingly described a situation in which positions in the administrations would be passed among family members and associates while public funds were exploited.
Toward the end of his post, Attali argued that Deri, as someone deeply familiar with the religious world, knows that there is no significant shortage of tefillin for those who wish to wear them.
"I'm telling you that Aryeh Deri lives within the religious world no less than I do, and he cannot even imagine that there is a Jew who wants tefillin but cannot obtain them."
Attali concluded his criticism with a harsh accusation:
"His announcement today is actually about creating yet another unnecessary bureaucracy whose entire purpose is to provide a livelihood for associates while exploiting the public treasury for the benefit of voters. And this is just one more piece of proof that Aryeh Deri is a genius."