The culture department of the Upper Galilee Regional Council was recently informed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports that the budgets transferred to them for "Shabbat Yisraelit" (lit. Israeli Shabbat) events are frozen, the council announced on Sunday.

“Shabbat Yisraelit” is a program which allows the opening of museums and heritage sites on weekends, including on Shabbat, in such a way that the State of Israel rewards the sites based on the number of visitors.

Giora Salz, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, spoke out against the decision and said, "At the end of last week, the director of the council's culture department received a message saying that the state will immediately stop subsidizing the events of the 'Weekend of Israeli Culture' project that will be held on Saturdays. Since the state subsidizes 90% of the cost of the events, this means the cancellation of a series of events intended for thousands of residents from the council's localities and the entire Upper Galilee."

The council also announced that the "Shabbat Yisraelit" initiative, which operates on Shabbat in four museums, will be frozen starting at the end of the month in favor of "organization and preparation."... Read More: Arutz-7