Today, Wednesday, July 01, 2009, is the first day of summer vacation and many parents are preparing to send their children to summer camps. According to the Knesset Audit Committee, many camps are lacking in safety and other areas, posing a danger, and about 50% are unlicensed.
Of the 540 camps inspected, half are operating without a license. This includes camps operating in Herzliya, Ramat Gan, Cholon and Tel Aviv. The report adds the municipalities mentioned are doing a poor job of supervising the camps as required by law. In addition, it adds the 79 incident reports of accidents in youth movement facilities and camps have gone unchecked by the appropriate authority. The committee is also alarmed at the fact that in too many cases, officials failed to run the required police check to ensure the employees of the camp are not a threat to the children.
Dr. Yitzchak Kadmon of the National Child Welfare Council adds his fears, pointing out his organization last year checked and he found that in over 90% of Jerusalem camps, a police check on employees was not conducted; adding not a single camp in the capital complied with the regulations of the Ministry of Education.
According to Aryeh Moore, of the ministry’s security division, over 150 inspectors have been hired and are responsible for overseeing just the issues mentioned in the report.
Officials in Cholon, Herzliya and Ramat Gan explain that in essence, the summer programs are an extension of the community center activities that take place during the year, using the same staff and so-forth, explaining they are professionals and the buildings do meet requirements, as is the case year round.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
Given that the Israeli government is the government of only 40% of the people (secular Jews, to the exclusion of frum Jews and Arabs), the number isn’t surprising. Note that in Jerusalem, in which the “elites” are a small minority, compliance with the government’s rules is minimal.
American experience suggests that parents, not bureaucrats, are best positioned to evaluate child care facilities.