After weeks of uncertainty regarding the future of the partnership between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael, a breakthrough was reached on Monday, paving the way to a joint run.

The dispute in question was the plan of the Belzer chassidus to sign an agreement with the government that will provide their Talmudei Torah with funding in accordance with the number of hours they spend teaching secular subjects. HaRav HaGaon Gershon Edelstein, who is adamantly opposed to any government intervention into Chareidi chinuch, would not agree to partner with Belz if they implemented the Education Ministry’s plan.

Former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to solve the crisis by promising to provide equal funding for Chareidi schools that don’t teach core curriculum studies if he manages to form a government. However, the Belzer Rebbe wanted a solution for a scenario in which Netanyahu does not manage to form a government or if he does but he and Moshe Gafni cannot provide the promised funding due to legal issues.

On Monday, a breakthrough occurred when HaRav Edelstein approved the signing of a guarantee that if Netanyahu does not form a government, a legal solution for funding will be found for Belzer mosdos. If not, their largest Talmud Torah will be incorporated into the Chinuch Atzmai network [currently, almost all schools in the Chinuch Atzmai network are girls’ schools] and the others will be funded through the Bnei Yosef network of Shas.

A source involved in the negotiations told Chareidim10: “Moshe Gafni and Aryeh Deri promise to provide a budget for Belz that is equal to that of Chinuch Atzmai [if Netanyahu forms a government]. If a coalition isn’t formed or they fail in obtaining the budget, some of Belzer mosdos will be incorporated into the Bnei Yosef network of Shas and the main Talmud Torah of Belz will be incorporated into Chinuch Atzmai.”

The source added that the reason that the mosdos will be split between Chinuch Atzmai and Bnei Yosef is that for technical reasons, the Belzer schools can only be incorporated into Bnei Yosef in another year. Incorporation into Chinuch Atzmai could begin this year. “Therefore we’re taking the largest cheder in Belz, which has about half of the children educated in their mosdos, and incorporating it into Chinuch Atzmai – which means they’ll receive half of their budget already this year.”

When the details of the agreement are finished being hammered out, MK Eichler will bring it to the Belzer Rebbe for his approval.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)