Member of the Shas affiliated מקור המעיינות College have not received their salaries in a number of months. On Sunday, 10 Sivan 5774, students were informed not to come back to class as the teaching staff declared a strike. In a letter that followed from the Shas Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah, the rabbonim shlita write “we have heard a harsh rumor, that the Ministry of Education has decided to close the college for the upcoming school year.
“Woe to us that this occurs nowadays, that the college established by Shas is forced to close its gates to hundreds of talmidim who wish to study here.
“Baruch Hashem we are blessed with rabbonim and teachers of caliber, most graduates of yeshivos but lacking certificates recognized b the state, resulting in a very low salary and the burden of paying the salaries falls on the NGOs and the parents. With Siyata Dishmaya, we merited establishing a college in which the teachers receive a senior accredited certification.
“The college is connected to the Mayan HaChinuch educational network and its closure delivers a serious blow to the network, which was most precious to Rav Ovadia ZT”L.
“If G-d forbid the college is closed, as those wishing to uproot Torah would like, we do not see a way to reopen in the future.
“Since Chazal said גדולים צדיקים במיתתן יותר מבחייהן, we remain confident that Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L will stand and daven for the success of the college and the entire education network”.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri said “The abuse of chareidi mosdos” by the ministry must stop immediately. Deri added he plans to turn directly to Minister of Education Shai Piron to intervene personally.
Teachers met with ministry representatives and report they were told the school received its entire budget for the year, which was paid out in full. Employees added that they do not trust the ministry in light of its actions regarding the chareidi sector in recent months.
Ministry officials paint somewhat of a different picture, one that includes a college deficit of 10 million shekels, explaining the annual budget appears to have been swallowed by the staggering debt. They add the ministry has tried “Every way possible” to assist the college but the situation is such that it appears impossible at this stage.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
They are paying the penalty for not acting on the warning in Pirke Avos against getting cozy and dependent on the government.
shas has PLENTY of gelt, why didn’t they pay the teachers until the government turned over the money?
There is a chiyuv d’oraita to pay employees’ salaries on time. How can a supposedly frum organization be over on this?
“Teachers met with ministry representatives and report they were told the school received its entire budget for the year, which was paid out in full.”
So the school got the money for its budget, and squandered it on who knows what, then complains that the ministry of education is chareidi bashing? Huh? there should be a criminal investigation to see where the money went!