Studies in yeshiva high schools, ulpanot (girls' high schools), and religious high schools all over the country will begin at 10 AM on Thursday, instead of at 8 AM.
The strike will not affect the hareidi-religious school systems.
The decision to close the schools was made by the Religious Education Task Force, headed by Yanki Friedman of the Noam-Tzivya Religious Education Network. Other members of the task force are Elchanan Glatt of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva movement, Amit Network head Amnon Eldar, and representatives of principles of religious high schools around the country.
At issue are budget cuts totaling no less than 70% of the religious education budget over the past four years. The principals and yeshiva heads have warned at various emergency gatherings over the past several months that they cannot continue to operate the double-curricula of Jewish and general studies that characterize their institutions.
Though tuition costs have risen sharply as a result over the past few years, the principals say that they cannot continue to foist the financial burden upon the parents. "In the current situation," one strike-organizer said, "we cannot operate our institutions the way we have until now - and certainly not at the current level of Jewish studies and activities."
The organizers say that all their attempts to meet with Finance Minister Ehud Olmert have been unsuccessful.
Until now, during strikes called by teachers' unions, religious schools have always attempted not to cancel Torah studies, because of the sacred value in Jewish tradition of such learning. How to deal with this issue in the upcoming strike has still not been finalized. Friedman told Arutz-7 that a meeting on the issue with Rabbi Chaim Druckman and other leading rabbis would be held this evening. "One possibility is to have Torah studies at synagogues and other places near the schools," he said.
The option of holding the strike in the afternoon hours, when general studies are usually taught, has been ruled out for now because of logistical difficulties, Friedman said.
The strike will not affect the hareidi-religious school systems.
The decision to close the schools was made by the Religious Education Task Force, headed by Yanki Friedman of the Noam-Tzivya Religious Education Network. Other members of the task force are Elchanan Glatt of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva movement, Amit Network head Amnon Eldar, and representatives of principles of religious high schools around the country.
At issue are budget cuts totaling no less than 70% of the religious education budget over the past four years. The principals and yeshiva heads have warned at various emergency gatherings over the past several months that they cannot continue to operate the double-curricula of Jewish and general studies that characterize their institutions.
Though tuition costs have risen sharply as a result over the past few years, the principals say that they cannot continue to foist the financial burden upon the parents. "In the current situation," one strike-organizer said, "we cannot operate our institutions the way we have until now - and certainly not at the current level of Jewish studies and activities."
The organizers say that all their attempts to meet with Finance Minister Ehud Olmert have been unsuccessful.
Until now, during strikes called by teachers' unions, religious schools have always attempted not to cancel Torah studies, because of the sacred value in Jewish tradition of such learning. How to deal with this issue in the upcoming strike has still not been finalized. Friedman told Arutz-7 that a meeting on the issue with Rabbi Chaim Druckman and other leading rabbis would be held this evening. "One possibility is to have Torah studies at synagogues and other places near the schools," he said.
The option of holding the strike in the afternoon hours, when general studies are usually taught, has been ruled out for now because of logistical difficulties, Friedman said.