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13 Teves 5764 - January 7, 2004 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Ministry of Religious Affairs Closes
by Betzalel Kahn and Eliezer Rauchberger

The Knesset finalized the decision to close the Ministry of Religious Affairs and transfer its departments to various government ministries. One of the Ministry's main departments, the Yeshiva Department, was transferred to the Ministry of Education, but the new department remained in the same offices, located on Kanfei Nesharim Street in Jerusalem.

The Union of Yeshiva Directors reports that because of the uncertainty, roshei yeshivos and directors of Torah institutions should submit requests for support payments for the year 2004 as soon as possible to the Yeshiva Department at the Education Ministry. The forms are available at the department's offices in Jerusalem or at the offices of the Union of Yeshiva Directors in Bnei Brak.

Regarding the questionnaires on Jewish studies until the age of 18, following understandings reached with Education Ministry officials, maranan verabonon are instructing directors of Torah institutions for boys up to age 18 (yeshivos ketanos) to submit the questionnaires immediately. Blank questionnaires and further details are available through the Union of Yeshiva Directors in Bnei Brak.

NIS 250 Million Allocated

"A portion of the state budget has been earmarked for the recovery programs for the religious councils, including council workers' salaries. Matters regarding workers will remain at the top of the Minister's priorities in the framework of the new department that will be transferred to the Prime Minister's Office and will be under his complete control," reads a letter Oren Magnasi, the Prime Minister's liaison officer to the Knesset, wrote to MK Nisan Slomiansky (NRP), chairman of the subcommittee in charge of dismantling the religious councils. At the beginning of the letter Magnasi states it represents the opinion of the Prime Minister, who also serves as Minister of Religious Affairs.

The pledged sum totals NIS 250 million ($57 million) according to sources and it will be distributed in another three months as part of the recovery program to be carried out in cooperation with the local authorities and funded out of the budget of the Prime Minister's Office.

The letter also states that the Prime Minister's stance on the religious council workers differs from the Treasury's position, according to which they do not have the status of government workers and therefore the State is not obligated to cover their back wages. "The Prime Minister and the Religious Affairs Minister sides with the position of Attorney Amnon De Hartuch, the Attorney General's representative. This position was also mentioned in passing by a High Court judge during the course of an appeal to the High Court by the Tel Aviv Religious Council against the Minister of Religious Affairs." The letter goes on to say, "Since the workers in question belong to statutory corporations set up under the Jewish Religious Services Law, I do not see any possibility of withholding their pay on a permanent basis."

 

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