Efforts on various fronts continue in the campaign to counter the unreasonable steps that have been taken in the past few months to check on the attendance of talmidim and avreichim of the Torah and yeshiva world. Roshei yeshivas were on hand for a mass rally to protest the shameful and demeaning conduct of Education Ministry and Finance Ministry inspectors last week, when they insisted on interrupting a major shiur in the Beis Shemaya yeshiva in Bnei Brak in order to conduct their inspection. Rosh yeshivas are demanding an end to the degradation of Torah by the government.
"This is a grave act and we must protest the degradation of Torah, bitul Torah and [the lack of] kovod haTorah," said Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, referring to the inspectors who tried to stop the shiur in progress to conduct their check. "This is persecution of Torah and Torah scholars, and we must object to it and seek ways to stop the persecution of yeshivas and kollelim, and the Torah world in general."
Following the gathering a number of decisions were issued by gedolei Yisroel and a number of roshei yeshivos have undertaken to take firm action. Meanwhile Finance Committee Chairman MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni has contacted the Prime Minister and the Finance and Education Ministries to demand the old system of inspections be reinstated and that the state put a stop to the aggressiveness and indignities heaped on the Torah world. He also demanded a meeting between roshei yeshivos and the Finance Ministry's Accountant-General, with Rabbi Gafni in attendance.
In a letter to Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Education Minister Gidon Saar and the Finance Ministry Accountant-General, HaRav Yisroel Eichler wrote, "Inspectors should be sent to the universities and the colleges to do a head count and check ID cards, just as is done at yeshivas and kollelim." The inspections should include class attendance and study hours, he said, adding that the practice of counting participants at chareidi cultural events should apply as well to the billions of shekels spent on Israel's cultural institutions in the secular sector.
Steinitz called the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Beis Shemaya in Bnei Brak, HaRav Shlomo Englander, to apologize for the degradation, which reached a peak when inspectors told him to stop a shiur kloli he was giving in the yeshiva's main beis medrash in order for them to conduct a routine check. HaRav Englander said he appreciated the call, but said it was not a personal insult, but rather an affront to the entire Torah world.
The Finance Minister added that as an academic he can only try to imagine the scene were an attempt made to interrupt a lecture, saying he would be willing to sit down and discuss the whole issue of inspections.
After fraud was uncovered almost a year ago, the inspections conducted of the yeshiva world became must tougher. Rabbonim noted that the new procedures have not uncovered any further improprieties, and there is no justification for continuing them indefinitely, especially if they are not applied across all similar institutions.
