The annual assembly of deputy mayors got underway in Jerusalem’s Plaza Hotel on Sunday, 17 Sivan 5773. In addition to the deputy mayors, cabinet ministers and MKs were in attendance.
Education Minister (Yesh Atid) Shai Piron addressed the forum, explaining he is unwilling to accept a situation in which a child born in one community or another is destined for a certain reality while others are not. The minister explained that even if equality is only achieved for financial reasons it is important. He added we must remember that Yeshayahu, Yirmiyahu and Yechezkel spoke of how we must treat a stranger, orphan and widow, and a country that has no regard for its weak has no right to exist.
Piron cited the need to create a situation in which children from periphery areas receive more than they do today.
The minister spoke of the need of having a state-of-the-art education system, one that is in line with the 21st Century. Areas lacking must be upgraded to provide the children of those communities with a proper education, to permit them to meet today’s challenges he explained.
Deputy Minister of Religious Services (Bayit Yehudi) Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan spoke of his ministry’s reform, the new marriage registry arrangement that does not limit a couple to registering in their city of residence.
Negev Regional Council Director Shmulik Reifman opted to address the ‘share the burden’ issue, the ongoing government effort to draft bnei yeshivos into the IDF or an accepted national service.
Reifman stated “What Israeli society is doing to the religious and the chareidim is a shame on all international standards. If another country would refer to Jews and all Jewish children in this fashion, all of Am Yisrael would stand up in protest. Let’s take a calmer approach here”.
His words were met with a loud round of applause.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
It is horrible the way the secular Jews are raising their children, with them being not only ignorant of Torah, but being raised to hate those who are successful in the area of Torah and Mitsvos. Perhaps Israel should conscript all secular Israels to spend three years learning Torah and doing Mitsvos in the hope they will do tseuvah???