Following a delay since last Thursday 10 Cheshvan when the High Court held a hearing on the budget for yeshivos ketanos, this week the Court, spurred on by a letter from the General Solicitor, decided to accept the Education Ministry's stance to provide the yeshivos ketanos funding as "exempt institutions" until January.
This funding represents 55 percent of the basic education budget for those institutions, and does not include additional funding such as welfare, special education, etc.
The High Court also asked the yeshivas to join as respondents by November 21.
Had there been a delay, the Education Ministry would have had to freeze the funding pending the decision.
"Neither a High Court decision nor any other decision would induce the yeshivas to change in any way the learning arrangements in place since time immemorial, which will continue be'ezras Hashem for years to come," said MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni.
"The petitioners, Reform activists and employees whose job and avocation is apparently to constantly try to drive a dagger into the holy Torah, and together with them the Organization of High School Teachers — which defies explanation since this petition has nothing to do with their organization — will not come out innocent from the budget tribulations they are trying to cause in order to undermine the Torah world.
"United Torah Judaism will assess the High Court decision and bring the matter before gedolei Torah, and they will decide how to proceed."
