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Feb 3, 2011
Rav Shteinman's Brilliant, or Disastrous, Advice To Kollels
After the Ministry of Education has already deleted four kollels in bet Shemesh from the lists of kollels receiving funding, due to spot checks that found these kollels lacking in the new criteria, the MoE has moved on to other cities and is inspecting everywhere.
In Modiin Ilit yesterday they found a number of kollels that were just fine, brimming with avreichim learning torah, that can continue to receive the funding, they did still find other kollels that did not meet the criteria and had to be invalidated and removed from the list for funding.
The rosh kollels are stuck and don't know what to do. The new criteria by which they are being judged is very difficult to comply with (I dont know what the new criteria is. I suspect it is more than "show up to kollel") and the know that there will be a certain percentage of kollels that will not be able to meet the criteria. They went to Rav Shteinman to get guidance on the matter.
Rav Shteiman encouraged them and then gave advice that will either turn out brilliant or as disastrous. Rav Shteinman told them this is basically a witch hunt against the Torah world and they should not cooperate with the authorities carrying out the inspections in the kollels. At the same time, Rav Shteinman said, they should be in contact with the authorities to get things changed and to find out if the new criteria being used for the inspections is in accordance with the law or not.
This can turn out to be either brilliant or disastrous advice. Let's hope for brilliant. Brilliant would be playing the system by forcing a conflict - if none of the kollels cooperate, it will mean all the kollels being disqualified and will no longer receive funding. That will not be tolerated and will lead to an uprising. Perhaps not an uprising in the sense of what's happening in Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia, but it will be a political and social uprising that will force the situation to be changed.
Or it will be disastrous in the sense that the kollels will all be disqualified, and pleas will be ignored and written off as it being their own fault, and this will be another incident chalked up as a victory for those who want to change the kollel system.
In Modiin Ilit yesterday they found a number of kollels that were just fine, brimming with avreichim learning torah, that can continue to receive the funding, they did still find other kollels that did not meet the criteria and had to be invalidated and removed from the list for funding.
The rosh kollels are stuck and don't know what to do. The new criteria by which they are being judged is very difficult to comply with (I dont know what the new criteria is. I suspect it is more than "show up to kollel") and the know that there will be a certain percentage of kollels that will not be able to meet the criteria. They went to Rav Shteinman to get guidance on the matter.
Rav Shteiman encouraged them and then gave advice that will either turn out brilliant or as disastrous. Rav Shteinman told them this is basically a witch hunt against the Torah world and they should not cooperate with the authorities carrying out the inspections in the kollels. At the same time, Rav Shteinman said, they should be in contact with the authorities to get things changed and to find out if the new criteria being used for the inspections is in accordance with the law or not.
This can turn out to be either brilliant or disastrous advice. Let's hope for brilliant. Brilliant would be playing the system by forcing a conflict - if none of the kollels cooperate, it will mean all the kollels being disqualified and will no longer receive funding. That will not be tolerated and will lead to an uprising. Perhaps not an uprising in the sense of what's happening in Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia, but it will be a political and social uprising that will force the situation to be changed.
Or it will be disastrous in the sense that the kollels will all be disqualified, and pleas will be ignored and written off as it being their own fault, and this will be another incident chalked up as a victory for those who want to change the kollel system.
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kollel,
Rav Steinman
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Even without posting what the conditions are to the public, the kollels know what the conditions are as they are told when they apply for the grants. They just assumed no one would ever check. I simply do NOT believe R' Shteinman said to not comply. That is the condition of the money and you become a ganev if you do not follow the rules of the agreement.
ReplyDeleteI dont think he said not to comply with the rules. most kollels being checked are passing fine, and it is only a few that are being caught. but the reports are that the inspectors are giving them all a hard time. they see it as an attack on the kollel world, and therefore he is being quoted as saying not to cooperate with the inspectors. that is different than saying not to comply with the rules.
ReplyDeleteand yes, a result, as I wrote, might be losing funding, and I am sure he is aware of that.
You would have to be a moron to have a kollel complying with all the rules being shut down to show solidarity with kollels who could not be bothered following the rules. What would happen if food establishments went out of business because Rabbanim declared them treif without proper investigation?
ReplyDeleteThe whole kollel lifestyle is built on the principle that all you need is bitachon and Hashem will take care of the rest. Perhaps the new rules are a test (punishment) from God. The only way to fight it is with stronger Bitachon, which is completely undermined by trying to fight it with hishtadlut.
Without a doubt, Rav Shteinman has not a clue as to what goes on in kolleilim as regards to gov't funding.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, were he to know, he would not have said what he said.
I don't believe that Rav Shteinman said that, please identify your source
ReplyDeleteit was on the haredi news websites at the time - Kikar and Bechadrei
ReplyDelete