The Reform Movement filed a High Court petition against the
Education Ministry and Chinuch Atzmai, demanding the
cancellation of transportation funding for Chinuch Atzmai.
Lacking any other controversial issues to bring before the
High Court, the Reform Movement is trying to force Chinuch
Atzmai students to enroll at institutions close to home.
The petitioners claim that the Chinuch Atzmai busing program
"discriminates against other institutions," and that
providing the funding is illegal since the students are not
transported to nearby schools. Since the Reform movement in
Israel has a minuscule following, the effect of the Reform
petition is more to damage Chinuch Atzmai than to benefit its
own constituents.
According to the petition, the fact that Chinuch Atzmai uses
state funds to cover busing encourages parents to send their
children to these institutions rather than institutions
closer to home. The case is clearly motivated by an
underlying desire to discourage parents — fed up with
the failures of secular schooling — from sending their
children to chareidi schools.
Although the Finance, Education and Justice Ministries are
hard at work on clear criteria for Chinuch Atzmai busing, the
Reform petitioners claim that the busing program
discriminates "in favor of Chinuch Atzmai students over other
students in the official education system . . . without
investigating at all into the question of whether there is a
genuine need for these students to [attend] a school far from
their homes or whether there is a school they can attend
closer [to home]."
The petitioners also claim although a government school may
be located across the street from the student's home parents
elect to send the student to a Chinuch Atzmai school on the
other side of the city or in a neighboring city, in which
case petitioners hold that the State should not be required
to cover transportation costs.
The Reform representatives are asking the court to halt all
Chinuch Atzmai transportation funding and are even requesting
an urgent hearing to prevent the funding from being
transferred before the beginning of the school year.
Essentially the Reform Movement is making an effort to
disrupt the opening of the school year in the Chinuch Atzmai
system.
In response to the case, MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni said the
provocative petition turns light into darkness, good into
bad. "The submitters [of the petition] have no idea what
they're talking about. Nor do they have any ability to
overcome hatred toward their brethren in the chareidi sector,
therefore they are not worthy of a response. From a
professional standpoint I hope UTJ, together with the
relevant government ministries, will reach a professional and
equitable solution soon."
Rabbi Avrohom Lazerson, one of the heads of Chinuch Atzmai,
said the petition represents the latest in a series of
malicious schemes in recent years by persecutors of religion
and education. "The fact that thousands of traditionalist
parents from all walks of life want and yearn to educate
their children at Chinuch Atzmai schools puts those who
pretend to appear in the name of `justice and integrity' ill
at ease and robs them of their peace of mind. Jealous of the
development and expansion of Chinuch Atzmai they put forth
unfounded arguments riddled with inaccuracies with the clear
intention of preventing thousands of students from receiving
the education they seek and aspire to at chareidi educational
institutions."
Rabbi Lazerson said the petition totally overlooks the fact
that Israeli governments have always recognized the
educational character and full spiritual independence of
Chinuch Atzmai and the petitioners even have the gall to
claim that Chinuch Atzmai is favored in funding over the
government and government-religious education systems while
the reality is just the opposite.
