Official Inquiry: The Synagogue on HaPedut Street – Management and Use

To: Council Chairman Mr. Eli Abutbul

Date: January 4, 2026

Inquiry: The Synagogue on HaPedut Street – Management and Use

 

The synagogue on HaPdot Street is a public building owned by the Council. The building includes a ground floor that serves as a synagogue as intended, and a columned floor designated for public use that is not part of the synagogue.

In response to the inquiry I submitted, the Council Chairman stated at Council Meeting 17/25 on December 2, 2025, that the upper floor serves as a synagogue and that the Religious Council has assumed responsibility for operating the synagogue building until it can be allocated to an association.

 

The inquiry is as follows:

1. Has the transfer of use of the upper floor to the Religious Council been formalized through an official framework? (Agreement between the Council and the Religious Council, a usage document, or some other legal means, etc.)

2. Have all matters regarding payments for water, electricity, etc., been settled so that the burden falls neither on the Council nor on the Religious Council, but rather on whoever the Religious Council has decided should bear the cost?

3. Is the matter of insurance required for the building, its structure, and property part of the arrangement with the Religious Council, and to whom does it apply?

4. The ground floor is not part of the synagogue. It is intended for public use for the benefit of all neighborhood residents/residents of Zichron Yaakov. Therefore, I would like to know who is using this public building. And has it already been made available for use by one of the Council’s departments, such as Education, Social Services, etc.? Because I saw that renovations were done there and equipment was brought in.

Sincerely

Dr. Limor Zar Gutman, Esq.

Council Member

“Lema’an HaMoshava” Party