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17 Adar I 5760 - February 23, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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News
Chinuch Atzmai Rejects High Court Intervention

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

"Since the establishment of the State, Torah educational systems and Chinuch Atzmai have always enjoyed full educational autonomy. Any undesirable intervention by the High Court in the curriculum or number of classroom hours constitutes an intolerable offense to the core of the system's spiritual autonomy. We reject it completely and firmly oppose this new trend on the part of the High Court."

These remarks were made by Rabbi Avrohom Lazerson, one of the heads of Chinuch Atzmai, in reaction to the High Court's decision at the beginning of February obligating the Education Ministry to announce a program for 75% of the plans of mandatory education in every officially recognized school in the country, including chareidi schools, within thirty days.

The decision, made by a panel of justices which included Justices Barak, Cheshin and Zamir, comes in the wake of an appeal by MK Paritzki of Shinui, who protested that many educational institutions -- mainly chareidi ones -- which receive funding from the Education Ministry, do not function according to Education Ministry guidelines. The High Court accepted his appeal and instructed the Ministry to distribute a new circular delineating the minimal hours for mandatory (read: secular) subjects in schools seeking official recognition.

This unprecedented decision aroused strong opposition among the heads and teachers of the Chinuch Atzmai. It was expressed by Rabbi Lazerson's strong reaction, in which he stressed the uniqueness of Chinuch Atzmai, as well as its impact and its crucial responsibility for shaping the spiritual image of future generations. He also stressed the need to preserve the educational autonomy of the Chinuch Atzmai, as has been the case since its founding nearly fifty years ago by gedolei Yisroel.

"The Chinuch Atzmai, under the guidance and direction of the gedolei hador, has independent methods of chinuch and its own ways of imparting Torah and yiroh. Every judicial or governmental attempt to dictate to it in this vital area will encounter the firm opposition of all those entrusted with the education of hundreds of thousand of Jewish boys and girls," he said.


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