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NEWS
MK Rabbi Gafni Says Equal Education Law Result of Local
Authorities' Failure to Act
By Tzvi Sofer
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni, mayors of chareidi cities and their
deputy mayors took part last week in Local Government Week,
which featured a series of meetings on issues related to the
chareidi public and chareidi education.
Rabbi Gafni addressed a special panel to discuss the Equal
Education Law recently passed in the Knesset, which requires
local authorities to help fund the upkeep of chareidi
schools.
Asked by the heads of the Center for Local Government why the
cost of chareidi education should be imposed on the local
authorities, Rabbi Gafni said he strongly opposes placing the
obligation on the local authorities. "There is no
justification for making the local authorities bear this
economic burden, rather there was a real problem of central
government officials not responding to the crisis in chareidi
education, and this crisis went on for many years. It's a
real shame that the local government did not wake up on time
to help chareidi education, which would have made it possible
to transfer the funding burden from the local authorities to
the [central] government. Because you kept quiet for years
you got a punishment in the form of Minister Nahari's
law."
Rabbi Gafni also remarked on chareidi education, saying it
provides an education in values and derech eretz,
recounting how he has visited chareidi educational
institutions and seen how the students honor every visitor by
rising to their feet. "When I step into the secular education
system everybody stands up as well, but there they stand on
the desks," he said.
Various discussions were held during the course of Local
Government Week, where participants included Rabbi Uri
Lupoliansky, mayor of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yitzchok Pindrus,
mayor of Beitar Illit and chairman of the Forum of Chareidi
Authorities, Rabbi Yaakov Asher, deputy mayor of Bnei Brak,
and Rabbi Tzvi Cohen, head of the Elad local council.
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