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5 Cheshvan 5765 - October 20, 2004 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Calls on Principals Not to Alter Curricular Arrangements in Any Way
By Betzalel Kahn

The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel Hatorah held an emergency meeting at the home of HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman after Succos to discuss crucial matters affecting talmudei Torah and Bais Yaakov schools.

At the meeting were HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, HaRav Nissim Karelitz, HaRav Shmuel Auerbach, HaRav Yitzchok Sheiner, HaRav Gershon Edelstein, HaRav Nissim Toledano and HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel. Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah members HaRav Avrohom Yaakov Zalesnik, HaRav Tzvi Markowitz, HaRav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg and HaRav Meir Tzvi Bergman were unable to attend.

The meeting was called in response to attempts by ranking Education Ministry officials to manipulate the chareidi education system by threatening to cut off funding to all institutions that fail to meet its curriculum dictates. For months such threats have been heard from various Education Ministry officials and public figures, but now they are being issued by top-ranking officials.

Several months ago Maran HaRav Eliashiv sent a letter of congratulations to Talmud Torah Chochmas Shlomo including the lines, "Currently an oppressive call has been heard to alter the path that has been handed down to us by changing the status of talmudei Torah to `recognized institutions,' which would be liable, chas vesholom, to lead to the involvement of secular education figures in schools for tinokos shel beis rabbon . . . and at such a time it is incumbent upon us to make known that whoever dares to make even the slightest changes in the way talmudei Torah have been run until now will be held accountable."

The opening speeches at the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah meeting were given by Chinuch Atzmai heads Rabbinical Committee Chairman HaRav Yosef Yekusiel Efrati, Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Lazerson, General Director Rabbi Meir Luria and Rabbi Tzvi Baumel.

HaRav Efrati, HaRav Eliashiv's trusted assistant, provided a cutting survey of Education Ministry attempts to intervene in the curriculum taught at chareidi education institutions and spoke about Chinuch Atzmai's battle against the Core Curriculum Program (Tochnit Halibah).

Rabbis Lazerson, Luria and Baumel spoke about the day-to-day administration of Chinuch Atzmai institutions and future concerns.

At the end of the briefings, Degel HaTorah MKs Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz and Rabbi Moshe Gafni arrived to report on their talks with Education Ministry representatives on the severance of funds to institutions that fail to commit to the Core Program. They also reported on a UTJ meeting earlier in the day with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, where the issue of cutting off funding to schools that fail to comply with the curriculum requirements was raised.

After the briefings Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah members held a prolonged meeting, at the end of which Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Secretary HaRav Avrohom Rubinstein read aloud a series of decisions reached (see sidebar).

Decisions Issued by Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

Since time immemorial our forefathers have dedicated themselves heart and soul to the task of ensuring that the education of Jewish children remains pure. As Chazal say, "Al tig'u bemeshichai," refers to tinokos shel beis rabban. This mesirus nefesh stood by them in raising upright, blessed generations faithful to Hashem and His Torah, and it is the foundation of our existence.

Since the Education Ministry is currently seeking to plant a foreign vine in Kerem Beis Yisroel by bringing in the Core Program, with its alterations to the workings of educational institutions, on 30 Tishrei 5765 Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah convened to consider this matter and expressed deep unease/distress over the attempt to interfere with curriculum, which has always been based on holy purity as we received from our forefathers from Mt. Sinai.

The following decisions were reached:

a) Educational arrangements at educational institutions, i.e. talmudei Torah, Chinuch Atzmai institutions and Bais Yaakov have always been dear to our hearts and souls. Only the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah has the authority to determine educational arrangements at Chinuch Atzmai institutions.

b) Principals may not agree to any changes in the current curriculum, choliloh, without the consent of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.

c) The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah calls upon the principals of institutions and Chinuch Atzmai to stop every breach in education arrangements since nobody can know where it will lead to.

d) Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah instructs Degel HaTorah MKs to work to the best of their ability against all of the breaches in the field of education.

e) Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah forbids all principals of talmudei Torah recognized by the Education Ministry as "exempt institutions" not to become "recognized but unofficial."

 

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