"You said you're a government of compassion. You said you're
a government that wants to help and that you're not anti-
religious. You go to the Reform — but what about our
children? Perhaps you'll allow our children to live, too?"
These remarks were leveled at the Education Minister by MK
Rabbi Moshe Gafni as he presented a no-confidence motion to
the Knesset early this week, representing UTJ and HaIchud
HaLeumi-NRP on the issue of "the Education Ministry's harm to
the Jewish studies budget increase."
The motion was defeated by a majority coalition vote along
with the other no-confidence motions tabled by the
opposition, including a no-confidence motion over the present
negotiations with Syria. Forty-eight coalition MKs supported
the government by voting against the no-confidence motion,
including the Shas representatives, while 32 MKs from the
opposition voted in favor and four MKs from the Arab parties
abstained.
Rabbi Gafni opened by saying that four years ago the Jewish
studies budget came to NIS 340 (then about $85) per student
under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Now that the matter
is being handled by the Education Ministry that figure has
fallen to NIS 70 (about $20 according to the current exchange
rate), and even these funds are not provided and the systems
are collapsing.
Turning to the Shas representatives, Rabbi Gafni asked,
"Don't you have children in yeshivot ketanot? Don't
you have children in special education? Don't they need
funding for Jewish studies?"
He went on to note that during the Pesach recess the Knesset
Education Committee finished discussing the law arranging
funding for the yeshivos ketanos, but Committee
Chairman MK Melchior said at the time he hoped within two
weeks the Ministerial Committee would determine its stance
regarding the law. Though much more than two weeks have gone
by, the Ministerial Committee has not discussed the issue or
reached a decision. "Neither the Education Minister nor Shas.
Nobody has brought this up, as if there are no such children,
as if there is no such education system in the State of
Israel. As if this simply doesn't exist. Does this government
really have the right to continue? You make the decision. Say
these children should be thrown into the sea. Say they should
emigrate. Say what you will, but say something!"
Rabbi Gafni then lodged criticism against Shas, which
continues to sit in the government coalition but has done
nothing to advance a bill regarding the yeshivos
ketanos. "What are they thinking? I can't understand it.
They have two representatives on the Ministerial Committee
for Legislation. Today they're the thread holding the
government together. If they were to come and demand jobs, I
would understand it if the government didn't give them jobs.
Fine. But here it's a question of existence. It's perfectly
obvious and there's no doubt that had Eli Yishai come to the
Prime Minister and the Education Minister and said, `I'm
asking you to pass the law,' the law would have gotten
passed."
Rabbi Gafni also fired piercing remarks at the Education
Minister and her call to the Reform movement to bring content
for the education system while abusing the chareidi education
system.
He concluded his speech by saying he expects nothing of the
government regarding the law that would arrange for
yeshiva ketanoh funding and expressed hopes that the
Knesset Education Committee would continue the process and
advance the law to a first reading.
