Many askanim and politicians have become involved in the machlokes surrounding plans to remove the Sanhedrin Talmid Torah to accommodate the Beis Yaakov HaYoshon. Things got a bit ugly last week amid accusations that the only reason officials are permitting the removal of the veteran talmid torah to accommodate the Beis Yaakov is because the former is Sephardi and the latter Ashkenazi. Rabbonim affiliated with the talmid torah exclaim this would not be taking place if the talmid torah was Ashkenazi.

Be that as it may, HaGaon HaRav Baruch Soloveitchik met with HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen Shlita in the hope of reaching agreement. Rav Soloveitchik was reportedly acting at the behest of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and Ponevezh Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein Shlita, both seeking to find a solution to resolve the machlokes and find a solution for hundreds of girls without harming the talmid torah and the tenokos shel beis raban.

The city has agreed to the compromise, the removal of the talmid torah in stages and under specific conditions. In line with the agreement signed by Chinuch Atzmai officials.

At present, half of the building will be given over to the Beis Yaakov and the remaining half used by the talmid torah until 5779 or until a suitable alternate site for the talmid torah is found by the city in the Romeima neighborhood. Simultaneously, the building on Chachmei Yosef Street in Bayit Vegan, which the city wants to allocate for the Sanhedrin Talmid Torah, will be used by ‘Siach Sod’ for special education. The latter will immediately evacuate one of its buildings on Mem Gimmel Street in Romeima. This building will be used in the future for Sanhedrin Talmid Torah as per negotiations between the city and Chinuch Atzmai in the hope of Sanhedrin remaining in the neighborhood, in its new venue by next year.

Stage one will be implemented by Sanhedrin evacuating the ground floor for the Beis Yaakov. The yard will remain in use for Sanhedrin and entrance to the yard will be via special stairs. The building’s gym will be under the city’s management exclusively.

The proposed deal follows dozens of hours of negotiations involving city Director-General Amnon Merchav, legal officials, Rav Soloveitchik, Sanhedrin Talmid Torah representatives, Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz, Rabbi Eliezer Sorotzkin, Chinuch Atzmai officials, and representatives of Maran Rav Shteinman Shlita and Rav Edelstein Shlita.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)