Buses transporting students to and from 100 Chinuch Atzmai
schools around the country stopped running on Monday and
Tuesday when the government failed to provide funding.
For the first time in years on Monday the bus companies did
not provide buses for Chinuch Atzmai schools around the
country, causing serious disruptions and forcing many parents
to bring their children to school themselves or to send them
on public buses.
Every day some 20,000 children make their way to Chinuch
Atzmai schools on buses funded—until recently—by
the Education Ministry. Anti-religious figures at the Justice
Ministry, mainly Atty. Amnon de Hartog, have been holding up
the transfer of funding for transportation until the bus
companies decided to stop providing service.
On Monday indefatigable efforts were made to solve the
problem. MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni contacted numerous officials,
including the Government Secretary and officials at the
Education and Finance Ministries, in an effort to bring about
an immediate solution to the crisis. Following the pressure
he applied, a large meeting—originally scheduled for
Sunday but postponed—was held on Monday at the Prime
Minister's Office with the Government Secretary and
representatives of the Finance, Education and Justice
Ministries on hand.
No decision was reached at the meeting to allow for the
resumption of bus service, but an emergency meeting was
scheduled for Wednesday to be attended by Government
Secretary Yisrael Maimon, Chinuch Atzmai Director Rabbi Meir
Luria and Mrs. Levana Abramovitz, director of the department
for Recognized but Unofficial institutions at the Education
Ministry.
The participants at Monday's meeting also discussed funding
for talmudei Torah, which has been delayed for weeks
by Atty. Amnon de Hartog, along with the continued delay of
funding needed to complete the recovery program for Agudas
Yisroel kindergartens. The participants were instructed to
submit assessments within two weeks.
