"Cynical exploitation of the provisions of the law"
Dahan adds: "This is a cynical exploitation of the provisions of the law, they know that the children study in school, they know that the children come every day between eight and four for Talmud Torah and they claim that we did not send the children to study. If your claim that the children do not study is true, why did they agree to enroll the children? You murdered and also inherited?!".
The parents also point to an interesting phenomenon: only the parents of the students who live in the Gush Etzion Council received indictments. The other parents - residents of Beitar or Efrat - did not receive an indictment. "If the problem is the violation of the law, why is there no equality among the students who all apparently violate the law? Why does the council harass its residents? Is it a matter of budgets?", one of the parents wondered.
From a legal point of view, Idan claims, "There is no precedent in Israel for a parent who sends his child to school every day at eight in the morning, in an institution with a high-level curriculum, to receive an indictment for not sending him to the educational institutions. There is a selective enforcement here that was unprecedented in Israel."
Idan added, "I spent 200,000 NIS on my sons' education to teach them Torah, We did everything to build high-level Torah Talmud, including the core subjects, In the second grade we studied more hours than the eighth grade in the corresponding school in the council. Instead of helping us, they drag us into court costs and the severe consequences that the trial can cause."
Independent education in Israel is nothing new, parents open a new school with their initiative and money according to the way they believe and after five years or so receive an institution symbol and recognition from the Ministry of Education through the mediation of the council where the school operates.
In every settlement, there is a Talmud Torah that splits from the state-religious education and receives recognition
In almost every settlement in Judea and Samaria, there is a Talmud Torah that branches off from the local state-religious education and opens its own institution. To reach a settlement, the parents must meet certain deadlines for submitting the study programs, for proving safety standards, teacher standards, and other standards. Without the help of the regional councils, it is almost impossible to complete the arrangement. Most of the regional councils understand the area and respond to the new institutions.
At the "Nachmat Moshe" school, they waited for the council to help them reach the long-awaited regularization, but nothing was done and the submission date to the Ministry of Education has passed. For the request to reach the Exceptions Committee, the parents need the help of the council, which is currently busy suing them.
The hearings in the court concerning the parents will begin in the court in Kiryat Arba next week before the Honorable Judge Bialin Elazar.
The council's response: The association did not cooperate
The Gush Etzion Council responded: "The Gush Etzion Council is working to regulate the Torah Talmud 'Nachalat Moshe' in David's regions, but despite our repeated requests, the association has chosen, so far, not to submit a formal request to the Ministry of Education.
For several years, an institution has been operating in the David territories, which is not according to the law. Despite the attempts to negotiate, the council encountered a complete refusal to contact and settle with the law authorities. Only recently did several parents apply to regulate the legality of the school, following an order submitted by the district attorney who is in charge of enforcing the compulsory education law on behalf of the State of Israel.
About a month ago, it was made clear to the council that in the request of the Torah Talmud, there is no way to meet the required threshold conditions, to receive legal approval. In light of this fact, the Council turned to the Ministry of Education with a request to approve an unusual request, and the Ministry approved the submission of the request, intending to assist and examine the regulation of the place. At the forefront of the council's attention is the concern for the well-being of the students, such as compliance with adequate sanitary conditions, and insurance for students according to law as is customary in every organized educational institution in Israel.
In recent years, the council has worked with several groups of parents to regulate all the educational institutions in Gush Etzion and we have succeeded in all of them except Talmud Torah "Nachalat Moshe". But even in this case the council is determined to regulate the place. As mentioned, we are impatiently waiting for the operating association to take a necessary step and submit an orderly request to the Ministry of Education."
Sources in the council say that another meeting between Shlomo Ne'eman and the parents is expected to take place tomorrow, in the hope of resolving the crisis.
