Israel's Education Ministry has announced a solution for yeshiva students who do not have a Green Pass, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
Following Kikar Hashabbat's request to the Ministry, Amos Ziadeh, head of the Torah Institutions Department, worked to solve the problem, and on Tuesday night the Education Ministry sent a letter to yeshiva deans, clarifying the new policies.
In the letter, quoted by Kikar Hashabbat, the Ministry wrote: "We would like to inform you that the Education Minister has signed an amendment to the criteria under which a Torah institution receives support. Those who cannot hold regular studies in a building on the site reported to house it - whether for all students or some of them - due to circumstances and limitations deriving from the coronavirus pandemic, may submit a request to hold distance learning for those students, so long as they reside in Israel."
"The request should be submitted to the Department by email, and include a special curriculum for students for whom distance learning is requested, in accordance with the amendment's demands. Students in those institutions whose request were approved will be eligible for support in the same way similar to that provided to the rest of the students, who attend the institution physically."
MK Moshe Abutbul (Shas), who read Kikar Hashabbat's previous article on the matter, also joined the efforts to push the change, writing his own letter to Ziadeh.
On Wednesday, Abutbul told Kikar Hashabbat: "In an in-depth work conversation I held with Mr. Amos Ziadeh, it was clarified to me that each institution has its own rules, and that he would honor every yeshiva dean who wished to hold distance learning, but there needs to be a formal request, and the information covered - pages, issues, sections, subsections - must be presented."
"This is not something which is complicated, but what's most important is that he said that he would approve anyone who submits a request. In universities the technical rules are different. He will be happy to explain and expound on the issue to any yeshiva deans who turn to him on the matter. In addition, last night the precise and updated rules and policies were published, having been signed by Minister Dr. Yifat Shasha-Biton (New Hope) and sent to all of the yeshivas which were waiting for these documents."
It is not clear whether those yeshivas which were recently disqualified due to their adherence to Green Pass rules will receive the stipends retroactively.