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National Authority for Ladino Culture Law, 5756-1996

חוק הרשות הלאומית לתרבות הלאדינו, תשנ"ו-1996

Published: 1996-03-17Last amended 2018-05-21✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-11
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Definitions§

1.

In this Law –

"the Executive Committee" – the Executive Committee of the Authority as referred to in section 8;

"the Council" – the Council of the Authority as referred to in section 5;

"the Director" – the Director General of the Authority appointed pursuant to section 10;

"the Authority" – the National Authority for Ladino Culture established under this Law;

"Ladino culture" – including the Ladino language and tongue, literature, arts and folklore;

"the Minister" – the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport.

The Authority and Its Objectives§

2.

The National Authority for Ladino Culture in Israel is hereby established; the objectives of the Authority are –

(1)to deepen the people's knowledge of Ladino culture in all its forms and to cultivate for that purpose the study and teaching of that culture, including through the various media;
(2)to promote, assist and encourage contemporary creativity in the Ladino language;
(3)to assist in the establishment and preservation of institutions in which activities relating to Ladino culture are conducted;
(4)to promote, assist and encourage the collection, documentation and cataloguing of the treasures of the oral folk culture and the written culture of the Ladino language;
(5)to promote, assist and encourage the publication of selected works from Ladino folk culture, as well as writing in Ladino, both in the original and in appropriate translations into Hebrew.

The Authority a Corporation§

3.

The Authority is a corporation.

The Authority a Controlled Body§

4.

The Authority is a controlled body within the meaning of section 9(2) of the State Comptroller Law [Consolidated Version], 5718-1958.

The Council§

5.

The Authority shall have a Council of 21 members to be appointed by the Minister in consultation with representatives of institutions of higher education, and its members shall be:

(1)a representative of the Minister;
(2)two representatives on behalf of the Government;
(3)two representatives of recognised institutions of higher education within the meaning of the Council for Higher Education Law, 5718-1958;
(4)one representative of the Teachers' Federation;
(5)one representative of the Organisation of Post-Primary Teachers;
(6)two representatives of Ladino literature writers and creators;
(7)two representatives of artists and composers engaged in music connected to Ladino culture;
(8)one representative of the Sephardi Community Committee in Jerusalem, one representative of the Sephardi Community Committee in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and one representative of the Sephardi Community Committee in Haifa;
(9)three representatives of associations and institutes engaged in Ladino culture and its dissemination;
(10)two representatives of the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation as defined in the Public Broadcasting Law, 5774-2014;
(11)one representative of the Academy of the Hebrew Language;
(12)one representative from the public.

Chairperson of the Council§

6.

The Minister shall appoint the chairperson of the Council and the permanent deputy chairperson from among the members of the Council.

Functions of the Council§

7.

The functions of the Council shall be:

(1)to outline the lines of action of the Authority;
(2)to approve the budget of the Authority and to submit it for the approval of the Minister and the Minister of Finance;
(3)to supervise the implementation of the policy of the Authority and its programmes;
(4)to establish a procedure for the receipt of donations, estates and grants.

The Executive Committee§

8.
(a)The Council shall elect from among its members an Executive Committee of seven members.
(b)The Council may delegate its powers to the Executive Committee, except for the power to determine general policy and to approve the budget of the Authority.

Rules§

9.
(a)The Executive Committee shall, within one year of the date of its appointment and after consultation with the Council, promulgate the rules of the Council, which shall include, inter alia, provisions concerning the operations of the Council, the Executive Committee, the Director and the other organs of the Authority, the powers and duties of those organs, their work procedures including provisions concerning a quorum, methods for determining the budget and the introduction of changes and amendments to the rules, insofar as these have not been prescribed under this Law.
(b)The rules and any amendment thereto shall be brought for the approval of the Council.

The Director and Functions§

10.
(a)The Council, with the approval of the Minister, shall appoint a Director General for the Authority.
(b)The Director is responsible for the performance of the functions of the Authority and the implementation of the decisions of the Council and the Executive Committee.

Term of Office of the Director§

11.
(a)The term of office of the Director shall be four years; the Council, with the approval of the Minister, may reappoint the Director for additional terms.
(b)The Director shall cease to hold office before the end of the term of office in any of the following:
(1)the Director resigned by delivering a letter of resignation to the Minister and to the chairperson of the Council;
(2)the Council resolved to terminate the Director's tenure by a majority of at least two-thirds of all its members;
(3)the Director was convicted, or an indictment was filed against the Director, in respect of an offence which in the opinion of the Attorney General involves moral turpitude.

Term of Office§

12.

Members of the Council shall be appointed for three years, and may be reappointed for additional terms.

Vacation of Office§

13.

A member of the Council shall cease to hold office before the end of the term of office in any of the following:

(1)the member resigned by delivering a letter of resignation to the Minister;
(2)the member was convicted of an offence which in the opinion of the Attorney General involves moral turpitude;
(3)the member ceased to be an employee of the government ministry or an employee or member of the body that the member represents on the Council;
(4)in the case of a public representative – if the member was appointed to be a State employee.

Removal from Office§

14.

The Minister may remove a Council member from office before the end of the term of office if the member is permanently prevented from performing the member's functions.

Validity of Activities§

15.

The existence of the Council and the Executive Committee, their powers and the validity of their decisions and actions shall not be affected by reason of a vacancy in the membership thereof, or by reason of a defect in the appointment or the continuation of office of a member.

Conflict of Interests§

16.
(a)A member of the Council or the Executive Committee shall refrain from participating in a discussion and from voting at meetings of the Council or the Executive Committee if the matter under discussion is likely to cause the member to find themselves, directly or indirectly, in a position of conflict of interests between their function as a member of the Council or the Executive Committee and a personal interest of theirs or another function of theirs; a member of the Council or the Executive Committee shall not deal, within the framework of their function at the Authority, with a matter as aforesaid, also outside the meetings of the Council.
(b)If it becomes apparent to a member of the Council or a member of the Executive Committee that the matter under discussion is likely to cause the member to find themselves in a position of conflict of interests as referred to in subsection (a), the member shall notify the chairperson of the Council accordingly.
(c)In this section –

"personal interest" – including a personal interest of a relative, or an interest of a body that a member of the Council or a member of the Executive Committee or a relative thereof manages or in which they are responsible employees, or an interest of a body in which they hold a share in the share capital, a right to receive profits, a right to appoint a director or a voting right;

"relative" – a spouse, parent, child, brother or sister, or another person dependent on the Council member or the Executive Committee member.

Financing of Activities§

17.
(a)The Authority shall submit to the Minister and the Minister of Finance, for their approval, no later than 31 July of each year, the draft budget of the Authority for the coming budget year.
(b)The annual budget for the activities of the Authority shall be financed from the State budget.
(c)The portion of the annual budget from the State budget shall be determined in the annual budget law and shall be transferred to the Authority, subject to the conditions that the Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance may prescribe, to the extent prescribed, with respect to reporting and with respect to budgetary supervision and control; for this purpose, "annual budget law" – as defined in the Budget Foundations Law, 5745-1985.
(d)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), the Authority may receive donations, estates and grants, in addition to the estimate set for such revenues in the annual budget (in this subsection – additional revenues), all in accordance with the procedure to be determined by the Council with the approval of the Minister and the Minister of Finance; if the Authority received such revenues, it may also pay and incur obligations from such amounts, after they have been duly approved as an additional budget; if the Authority received additional revenues from a controlled body within the meaning of section 9(1), (2), (4) or (5) of the State Comptroller Law, 5718-1958 [Consolidated Version], the Authority may pay and incur obligations as aforesaid if the expenditure was duly approved in the budget of the controlled body and notice thereof was given to the Minister and the Minister of Finance.
(e)The Authority shall publish the procedure determined pursuant to subsection (d) on its internet website.

Prohibition on Transfer of Assets§

18.
(a)The Authority shall not be entitled to sell or otherwise transfer an asset in its ownership, except for assets whose particulars including their type and value have been prescribed in Regulations, without the approval of the Minister.
(b)The Authority shall not be entitled to pledge an asset in its possession or to lease it for a period exceeding ten years, without the approval of the Minister; a lease conferring a right to renew or extend it, and also a lease for an additional period which together with the preceding periods would exceed ten years, requires approval as referred to in this subsection.
(c)The Authority shall not take out a loan exceeding an amount prescribed by the Minister in Regulations, without the approval of the Minister.

Annual Report§

19.

The Director shall prepare an annual report on the activities of the Authority and on the budget of the Authority and its implementation, and shall submit it to the Minister with the approval of the Council.

Status of the Authority§

20.

The Authority shall have the same status as the State with respect to the payment of taxes, stamp duty, fees, rates, levies and other compulsory payments.

Recognition as a Public Institution§

20a.

Without derogating from the provisions of section 20, for the purposes of the Income Tax Ordinance [New Version], the Authority shall be regarded as a public institution pursuant to section 9(2) of that Ordinance.

Independence§

21.

Within the sphere of its powers under this Law and under the rules, the Authority shall be free to conduct its affairs.

Implementation and Regulations§

22.

The Minister of Education, Culture and Sport shall be responsible for the implementation of this Law and may make Regulations for its implementation.

Commencement§

23.

This Law shall come into force three months from the date of its publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette).

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