Head Of Largest Jerusalem Talmud Torah: We’re Open Since Sukkos, 700 Tests, No Infections

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JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Avraham Finzel, the principal of Chochmas Shlomo, the largest Talmud Torah in Jerusalem, came to the Knesset’s State Control committee and testified regarding the ‘medical aspect’ of opening the Chareidi educational system.

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Finzel runs a Talmud Torah for 1500 students and a girls school for 1000 girls. The schools are “exempt institutions”, meaning that they are run almost without educational ministry supervision. Finzel said that the school for boys opened from 1st to 8th grades at the beginning of Marcheshvan, about six weeks ago, but despite this there has been practically no infection in the 3-13 age group. Finzel stressed that although opening schools was illegal, the Talmud Torah maintained capsules, strict hygiene and masks and forbade pupils to go to weddings or other gatherings. He said that 700 tests had been performed since Sukkos in the Talmud Torah and not one of them was positive.

Finzel added that despite the fact that from Pesach to Sukkos the infections in all the educational institutions were less than 1% of all infections, the health ministry did not permit schools to reopen due to legal constraints.

Since opening educational institutions was illegal, Finzel says that many of them received large fines. “We would have been happy to pay the fines but at some point the Justice Ministry informed the police that they need to take back the fines since they were illegal. Those who paid will be reimbursed because the fines were not legal.”

Finzel queried why secular parents are keeping such a low profile and not demonstrating to return children to schools: “I don’t understand it, there is hardly any infection between the ages of 3 and 13, unless you tell me that for secular kids its different,” Finzel added.

State Control committee head Ofer Shelach (Yesh Atid) said that “even though the violation of regulations in the Chareidi educational system is annoying, we can conclude from it that the health ministry’s policy regarding opening the general educational system may be incorrect.”

Finzel testifying in the State Control committee

 


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2 Comments
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CudahyKid
CudahyKid
3 years ago

Let’s see, 2500 students with only 700 tests. That is only 28% of the students. Not such a big sample size.

Name
Name
3 years ago

Pinzel