Empty classroom
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The Director of the Center for Rural Education at the Education Ministry will hold a seminar tomorrow for heads of yeshivas and heads of Ulpanot in cooperation with the Christian "Beit El" community in Zichron Yaakov.

Participants were invited to a lecture on the Christian community and a study tour at the Beit El Technological School under the guidance of the school principal.

Following the unusual invitation from the Education Ministry, institution heads turned to Kiryat Shemona Chief Rabbi Tzefanya Drori to ask whether it was permitted to participate in the seminar.

"I received an invitation to a training day for the Education Ministry at the Beit El community of Zikhron Ya'akov," the rabbi wrote in his reply, adding, "I was surprised by the conference venue set at the Emma Berger Christian Center."

"What is special about her words is the fact that the State of Israel was established and that G-d's promise is being fulfilled and revealed in the rebirth of our State, and that's what we all believe. The difference between what we believe and them - is that they believe that the divinity of Jesus is revealed in the rebirth of Israel, serving as proof of the rightness of Christianity. This is the clearest heresy in the G-d of Israel."

The rabbi also forbade participation in the Education Ministry seminar held jointly with the Christian community.

"Christianity denies the entire Torah and the obligation to fulfill its commandments and in this respect has not changed in any way. The entire education convention only adopts this way and confuses naive and simple hearts to become victims of the Christian mission. Therefore the Education Ministry mustn't participate in activities to encourage recognition of Christianity and its institutions," Rabbi Drori clarified.

Following the ruling, heads of various institutions intend to be absent from the seminar and are working to have it cancelled.

Rabbi Tzefanya Drori
Rabbi Tzefanya DroriFlash 90