During a Tuesday morning, 7 Shevat, Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafne spoke out harshly against Education Minister Naftali Bennet and Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav for failing to see to the minimal needs of Talmid Torah Netivot Moshe in Kiryat Shmuel, in Haifa.

During a session of the Knesset Committee for Child Welfare, Gafne accused Bennet and Yahav of failing to meet the minimum standard for the children attending the talmid today, which is affiliated with Chinuch Atzmai. He called their attitude towards the talmid torah “cruel”.

According to talmud torah PTA officials, despite promises to them from Bennet, the problems have been ignored and not solved. They explain no one whatsoever in Bennet’s office is willing to speak with a PTA representative about their issues and not a single official has visited the talmid torah. They add the same attitude is prevalent among city officials.

Gafne has been working with the parents, citing “It has been 17 years that children have been suffering under the worst possible conditions. I do not understand how this continues while an entire nation remains quiet. It is simply unbelievable. I was at former Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzne, who cleared and area and began building. The government changed, and the new mayor arrived, and he does not permit them to build there”.

Gafne explains he was there several times and he feels the nation should be outraged for the entire matter should be rectified in no more than three months. He insists this should not occur, not in the Jewish or Arab sectors, not anywhere and this has been ongoing for 17 years.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)