|
|
NEWS
Finance Ministry Agrees to Cover Fuel Costs for Mikvo'os
Facing Threat of Closure
By Betzalel Kahn
Prime Ministerial Aide Oved Yechezkel notified MK Rabbi Moshe
Gafni on Monday that during talks with the Finance Ministry's
Budget Department a solution had been found to cover fuel
costs at dozens of mikvo'os around the country facing
imminent threats of closure due to lack of fuel to heat the
water.
Rabbi Yehoshua Levy, director of the National Center for
Family Purity, said on Monday night that he hopes the matter
would indeed be worked out within the next few days.
Meir Shpiegler, religious services commissioner at the Prime
Minister's Office, said Monday night that the Finance
Ministry transferred to him an initial sum of NIS 1.5 million
($320,000), which will be immediately passed on to the local
councils with mikvo'os on the verge of closure, and
later the remainder will be passed on to mikvo'os
around the country.
Last week the situation was so dire that the rabbonim of the
National Center for Family Purity convened a meeting and
decided to seek other ways — including bank loans
— to raise money to cover heating costs. Recently the
Center had to supply fuel for mikvo'os in Shetulim,
Matzliach, Tirosh, Givat Yaarim, Aviezer, Shekef, Achuzam,
Otzem, Noga, Nehora, Zohar, Sdeh David, Telamim, Givat Yesha,
Beit Ezra, Givati, Emunim, Sdeh Uziyahu, Azrikam, Kfar Achim,
Yanun, Chatzav, Mesilat Tzion and Sapir.
|
