ISRAEL

University heads concerned over status of Torah education

The Association of University Heads in Israel asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to re-examine his position that equates Torah education with academic degrees, in a letter sent by the group recently, reports The Jerusalem Post.

The letter comes in response to a reform announced last month by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, which likens religious education to academic degrees in regard to job tenders by local municipalities.

The new regulation aims to allow ultra-Orthodox men to compete for local government jobs at the same level as university graduates. To qualify, a religiously-trained candidate must present one of two certifications: rabbinical ordination by the Chief Rabbinate, or a certificate proving six years of study since the age of 18 at a Yeshiva and completion of three Chief Rabbinate tests.
Full report on The Jerusalem Post site