Questionable funding of Reform nonprofit
Kariv, as chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee, waved the flag of “rule of law” as he filed countless briefs with the High Court against the chareidi sector. He fought against kosher cell phones, separate seating on public transport, curriculum independence in chareidi schools, and the most recent draft law — worked out as a compromise among competing Knesset factions, and nullified as a result of Kariv’s action. All because of the exacting legal standards he applied to chareidi causes.
Apparently he did not hold himself to those same standards. He has now been caught in an embarrassing conflict of interest.
Perhaps unbeknownst to his fellow Labor MKs in the governing coalition, Kariv was also on the board of “Panim,” a nonprofit purporting to serve as an “umbrella” for several Reform-associated organizations. Meanwhile, Kariv’s fellow Labor Party member Nachman Shai was serving as minister of Diaspora affairs.
Kariv is believed to have assisted Panim in applying for a NIS 30 million grant from the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Kariv’s cohort Shai, as minister, mysteriously waived the normal protocols that would have allowed any organization to apply for the money, and gave the whole pot to Panim. The grant was the ministry’s share of a planned NIS 60 million “joint venture” with Panim for a “Jewish renewal” program.
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