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4 Teves 5766 - January 4, 2006 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Justice Ministry Official Delays Guaranteed Income for Husbands of Teachers on Sabbatical

by Betzalel Kahn

Despite an order by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss to the Education Ministry requiring the Guaranteed Income Committee to pay Guaranteed Income stipends to avreichim whose wives are on sabbatical leave, recently Attorney Amnon de Hartog, head of the Support Department at the Justice Ministry, issued instructions not to pay the stipends. This represents an unprecedented move by a government ministry official: instructing another government ministry not to carry out directives issued by the State Comptroller and the Public Complaints Commissioner.

For years de Hartog has sought every possible means of preventing public funds from reaching the chareidi sector and this time he went one step further by defying even the State Comptroller's instructions.

Over a year ago the Education Ministry's Guaranteed Income Committee decided to change its policy and, as of October 2004, stopped providing Guaranteed Income allotments to avreichim married to teachers on unpaid sabbatical.

Following action taken by Degel HaTorah's Bureau for Public Inquiries in Bnei Brak, the State Comptroller and the Public Complaints Commissioner determined that the Committee does not have the authority to cancel an administrative decision after the current school year has already begun.

In a letter to Attorney General Mani Mazuz, MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni noted that despite the State Comptroller's directive, "Attorney Amnon de Hartog issued orders not to pay the stipend to these families, claiming he is looking into the matter, but these teachers are already in their unpaid year and although two months have already passed since the State Comptroller and the Public Complaints Commissioner issued their directive." Rabbi Gafni is demanding the Attorney General investigate the matter and issue instructions to restore the teachers' rights.

 

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