Yaakov Litzman

Litzman has served as minister of health from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and has been criticized for an "unprofessional handling" of the crisis.[15] Due to his exceptionally lenient attitude toward enforcing health guidelines in ultra-Orthodox communities from the start of the crisis,[16] major outbreaks appeared in ultra-Orthodox communities throughout Israel.[17]

In an interview in March 2020, Litzman stated: "I am sure that the messiah will come by Passover and save us the same way God saved us during the exodus, and we were freed. The messiah will come and save us all."[18]

Later in March, an open letter was penned to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz by many heads of hospital departments and senior doctors, as well as medical officials, lamenting years of neglect that left the country's health care system at its lowest point during the time of coronavirus outbreak, and urged that Litzman be replaced as a result.[19]

On 2 April 2020, Litzman and his wife were tested positive for COVID-19, while acting as Minister of Health.[20] He was the first member of the cabinet to be infected.[21] As a result, he self-quarantined, and began working from home. Israel's Shin Bet reviewed Litzman's phone after his COVID-19 diagnosis to track his movements, and the Health Ministry maintained that anyone who came into contact with him has been contacted personally.[22] Top ministers in Israel's government were furious at Litzman for flouting social distancing guidelines after he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus, with senior officials accusing Litzman of putting his colleagues' lives in danger, while knowingly breaking his own ministry's safety rules regarding the virus.[23] Litzman was spotted praying at the home of a fellow member of his Hasidic sect three days after government guidelines went into effect barring such services. Additionally, after the guidelines had further intensified, Litzman was again spotted praying at a synagogue just outside his home.[24]

On 17 May 2020, he was sworn in as Minister of Housing and Construction.[1]

During a February 2016 discussion in the Knesset about Israeli health authorities becoming more sensitive towards LGBT people, Litzman compared LGBT people to the sinners who danced around the Golden Calf.[25][26]

Litzman has been criticized over policies and statements that seemed to serve the interests of the tobacco companies, including hindering some efforts to curb cigarette ads. For example, in his first tenure as deputy health minister (2009-2013), Litzman opposed warning labels and stickers that depict the effects of smoking, despite their role in reducing the habit in other countries. Litzman argued that the images of dirty lungs and teeth aimed at discouraging children and youth from smoking were "unaesthetic", stating, "With the help of G-d, we won't approve this... We don't need to disfigure the State with such images."[27]

In his second tenure (starting 2015), Litzman was criticized for opposing legislation prohibiting tobacco advertising in newspapers. Litzman argued that such laws would bankrupt newspapers, which rely on the advertising revenue.[28] It was pointed out that Litzman had a conflict of interest due to his close association with ultra-Orthodox publications (Hamodia in particular) that rely on revenue from the many tobacco ads that they publish.[29][30] Specifically, Litzman had a particularly strong conflict of interest concerning Hamodia, due to the fact that it is published by his Agudat Yisrael party (part of UTJ), and employs his wife. A bill restricting the marketing of tobacco was finally agreed upon after other MKs threatened to vote against a bill restricting retail operations on Shabbat and Jewish religious holidays. However, Litzman stipulated that he would only agree to the legislation on the (unusual) condition that the ban would not include printed publications (ultra-Orthodox Jews tend to abhor the internet, making printed publications their primary form of media, hence Litzman's primary concern).[31][32][33][34][35]

Litzman is accused of obstructing the extradition of Malka Leifer, the accused in the Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal.[36] According to Israeli media, he attempted to obtain false psychiatric evaluations that would deem Leifer unfit to face trial in Australia.[37] Israeli police recommended on 6 August 2019 that Litzman be indicted for "fraud and breach of trust" (both related to the Leifer case), as well as bribery in another case.[38]

Eli Beer, the president of Israel's United Hatzalah ambulance service, while hospitalized in serious condition in Miami after contracting the coronavirus, lambasted Litzman from his hospital bed for sidelining his medics by refusing to allow Hatzalah's 6,000 volunteers to play any role in assisting the Health Ministry and Magen David Adom with conducting virus tests. Litzman argued that Hatzalah staff were less professional. "He is a spiteful, evil person", Beer claimed. "I really hope he isn't health minister in the next government. The man has been fighting United Hatzalah for several years. A bad man without a good heart, who only looks out for his own interests."[39]