The agreement signed between Degel Hatorah with Shas regarding the Jerusalem education portfolio has yet to be implemented despite the fact that Mayor Moshe Leon, who was backed by the litvish party, promised the agreement would be implemented within his first sixty days in office.

Readers are reminded that there was a harsh disagreement between Degel and Shas regarding the education portfolio, which has been in Shas hands, now demanded by Degel. As part of the city coalition agreement, it was decided a Chareidi Education Resources Division would be established in the city by Deputy Mayor Yisrael Kellerman within the first sixty days of the Leon administration. This was the suggestion by HaGaon HaRav Baruch Soloveitchik made to solve the machlokes.

This new unit will permit the division of chareidi education into separate departments, with one headed by Shas and the other by Degel, as Shas party leader Interior Minister Aryeh Deri was not about to give away the prestigious portfolio to Degel, fearing it would jeopardize his efforts to end discrimination against sephardi girls in the capital.

In addition to the establishment of the new division, the city is expected to allocate NIS 1 million towards the construction of classrooms for the chareidi sector. According to a Kikar Shabbos News report, the funding is to come from the general budget. However, the basis of the budget that was passed by the city council did not include the section for the allocation of the new division.

City officials report that work towards the establishment of the new chareidi education division is underway.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)