As tensions continue in Arad between the Gur chassidic community and the Office of the Mayor, Rosh Yeshivas Gur Rav Tzvi Bialstotzky has come up with an innovative plan to address the budgetary crisis.

There has been an ongoing battle taking place in Arad between Gur and the mayor, a battle that is waged on a number of fronts. The Gerre community insists the mayor and his staff ‘have it out’ for them and as a result, the community is suffering. According to the Gerre community, over recent week City Hall has remained adamant in its refusal to allocate funding for kindergartens which operate similar to the Chinuch Atzmai framework, categorized as non-official recognized facilities that receive state funding.

The rosh yeshiva apparently decided to beat the mayor at his own game. Amid the awareness that funding is not forthcoming, the parents of the Gerre community have been instructed to register all of their kindergarten eligible children in the city’s dati leumi kindergartens, creating a stir to put it mildly.

This compels the city to turn to the Ministry of Education to fund kindergartens and if the mayor does not act, the community will turn to the courts demanding funding for state registered kindergartens as the law requires the ministry to provide kindergartens for the city’s children.

According to the estimate provided by the Gerre community, this will compel the ministry to open 28 new kindergartens in the city which will demand a handsome sum of money.

It appears for now, the ball remains in Arad City Hall’s court in the ongoing battle between the Gerre community and mayor.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)