MKs Rabbi Moshe Gafni (United Torah Jewry) and Meshulam
Nehari (Shas), both members of the Knesset Education
Committee, are considering how to respond to inappropriate
conduct by Committee Chairman MK Ilan Shalgi (Shinui), who
they say acts abusively toward the chareidi education system,
seeking every opportunity to lash out at it.
The two were very angry following a committee meeting to
discuss army teachers at Chinuch Atzmai and Shas' Maayan
Hachinuch Hatorani institutions. Other committee members
agreed such a meeting was unnecessary in the first place
since the program has been in effect for years at chareidi
and many other educational institutions.
Apparently contrary to what Shalgi had expected when he
called the meeting, representatives from the IDF, the
Education Ministry and the Chareidi Education Inspector
voiced support for the program and the IDF's special
arrangements to allow teachers to serve by working in the
chareidi education system. But at the conclusion of the
meeting, when MKs called for a summary as is customary in
such cases, Shalgi suddenly elected to break up the meeting
and leave the room in order to avoid issuing a positive
summary on the program at Chinuch Atzmai and Maayan Hachinuch
Hatorani.
Instead of drawing up a summary, charged Gafni and Nehari,
"and in total contradiction to the meeting and the
conclusions reached by the committee, MK Shalgi issued a
deceitful and distorted press release as far from reality as
could be, in keeping with his political imagination. We will
consider our stance toward the Education Committee meetings
and we will contact the Knesset Chairman to lodge a complaint
against this grave and unseemly conduct."
Within the committee a storm raged when MK Shalgi refused to
issue a summary in response to a demand by MKs Gafni and
Nehari, who were joined by other MKs including Yossi Sarid
(Meretz). MK Nehari said Shalgi would no longer be able to
run meetings properly as long as his tendentiousness against
chareidi education persisted.
They noted that when meetings were held to discuss low
achievement in the government education system Shalgi
stubbornly avoided holding a meeting on the successes and
high marks the chareidi education system received in every
area. "You didn't have the integrity and decency to note this
in the committee summaries. But in areas where the chareidi
sector is prone to attack you made haste," they charged.
