An article in Mercaz HaInyanim written by Avi Maman told how, three years ago, the Treasury Department appointed as its auditor of the Chinuch Atzmai, an accountant, Itamar Shoshanah. A private accountant by profession, Shoshanah was totally ignorant of the chareidi lifestyle. In the past, those appointed to that oversight position had a religious or traditional background that helped them to understand Chinuch Atzmai's particular needs and ways of approaching things. The fact that Shoshanah completely lacked this understanding caused a long list of differences and arguments which threatened a deep split between the two sides. Things were so bad that the heads of Chinuch Atzmai had doubts if they could ever work successfully with Shoshanah.
Along the way, however, the new auditor learned something, and the more he became acquainted with the whole picture, the more he sympathized with Chinuch Atzmai and began to advocate for them vis a vis the government agencies and those who sought to undermine them.
Lately, it was decided to remove Shoshanah from his responsibilities with regard to Chinuch Atzmai and transfer him to other work within the Ministry of Finance. The heads of Chinuch Atzmai decided to hold a farewell party for Shoshanah, and the messages relayed there by the administration as well as by Shoshanah himself, were a strong testimony to the injustice behind the continual harassment and blows to the image of chareidi education and its ugly delegitimization of the holy work carried on by its heads. The Mercaz HaInyanim article reported some of the remarks of Shoshanah.
"I believe that I have reached this office as... an emissary of Hashgochoh," said the outgoing auditor at his good-bye party. "At first, I was supposed to be the auditor of the Health Ministry, but only at the last minute was it decided that I supervise the finances of Chinuch Atzmai. In the beginning, I was alarmed and put off by what faced me. Your world was very alien to me in every way. I was a mere 28 year-old, young, secular man — secular to an extent of which you can hardly imagine. Today, however, as I leave my job with sorrow, all I can say is: Thank you! All of you have made me grow; you educated me, very literally.
"I come from the other side of the fence but you taught me to become enamored with your world-view, your determined adherence to your goals, your genuine self-sacrifice, as well as your professionalism. I encountered here, much to my surprise, a group of men who believe in their holy work, and I came to understand the power of faith. This is what motivates you to work with such outstanding adherence to your goals in the best possible and highest professional manner.
"I must publicly confess that I will miss people like you in my new job. If everyone would approach their work with the same sense of deep mission that you possess, the State of Israel would look altogether different."
Itamar Shoshanah, the departing government-appointed auditor for Chinuch Atzmai, had more to say. "You are at the helm of a huge ship and in my opinion, you are the only educational organization in this State which, instead of educating just to produce high grades, as do all the other systems, you create people, bnei Adam, products of character. Your values, your sincerity, integrity and purity are totally nonexistent in this country. You represent the last outpost. One must come from the outside in order to fully appreciate this."
The deputy Administrator-General of Chinuch Atzmai, Rabbi Tzvi Baumel, emphasized as well that at the beginning of the road, there were many question marks regarding Shoshanah's compatibility to job because of his diametrically opposed background. "The feeling was that you were not suited to our setup, but with time, you have become our trusted ambassador to the high places."
