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But religious opposition stands
as one of two main obstacles to a
casino in Israel.
"I've spoken out against it at
least five times in the Knesset,"
said Knesset Member Rabbi
Avraham Ravitz of the Degel Ha-
torah (Flag of the Torah) Party.
"If Israel builds a casino, we will
be worse than Las Vegas, be-
cause we do everything to such
extremes. It also runs counter to
Jewish law. [The religious forces]
won't allow a casino. We will use
all our ability, within legal
bounds, to stop it."
The other major protest comes
from Eilat. During her visit to Is-
rael, Las Vegas Mayor Jones
made her case for a casino to an
audience of about 200 Eilat res-
idents. "Most of the people there
were opposed," said city spokes-
woman Michal Mayer Sa'ar.
Eilat already had a bad expe-
rience with small-time casinos.
In 1989, a few foreign-owned casi-
no boats began operating just be-
yond Israel's territorial waters,
bringing players from shore by
motor boat. After a few months,
complaints about organized
crime, drug dealing, prostitution,
and damage to families were such
that the boats were forced to shut
down.
In mid-December, the 17 mem-
bers of the Eilat City Council
aired their views on the subject.
Twelve were "adamantly op-
posed" to a casino because of the
danger of increased crime and
gambling addiction; three were
in favor because of the promise of
huge economic development; and
two were undecided, Eilat spokes-
woman Ms. Sa'ar said.
Hearings on the casino ques-
tion were conducted in 1990-91
by a public committee appointed
by the Finance Ministry. The
committee report gave a half-
hearted endorsement to building
an Eilat casino, noting the dan-
gers, but concluding that if Is-
raelis were going to lose their
money in Taba, why not let them
lose it in Eilat.
The committee chairman, re-
tired Tel Aviv District Court Pres-
ident Binyamin Cohen, said the
conclusion was a compromise
reached for the sake of consen-
sus. "If it had been up to me
alone, I wouldn't have agreed to
allowing a casino," said Mr. Co-
hen. "They teach people to believe
in miracles. These TV commer-
cials you see all day that tell you
it's good to bet on the lotteries —
this is corrupting.
"I was raised that you're sup-
posed to profit from your work,
not from the roulette wheel," said
Mr. Cohen, 81. "But maybe my
time is passed."
The time the judge speaks of,
when Israelis were simple,
workaday folks, is definitely
passed. The answer to what's
ahead, whether a casino will be
Israel's next national adventure,
is still in the deck. Li

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