"We were surprised by the forceful and unilateral manner in which the decision was made in the municipality, this is an inappropriate and unworkable demand"
The Leo Buck Education Center, an old and respected institution in the French Carmel neighborhood in Haifa, is known for its educational quality and values, which has been preserved over the years, and no less, that it is a kind of social heart for the residents of the area who gather around it as a cohesive community. A significant component that enables this, is the educational sequence that Leo Buck gives to his students, who can belong to him from kindergarten age, and continue to study in him until the end of the compulsory studies, in the twelfth grade of the high school.
Now, Leo Buck was surprised to find out that the Haifa municipality has decided to close the kindergarten and move it from the property, already in the next school year.
The management of Leo Buck is revolting and claiming that it is not possible to carry out this step in such a short time, and that it will seriously harm the children and their parents, and that they were promised by the Haifa municipality that a dialogue would be conducted on the issue, with the aim of resolving the issue in a way that would be acceptable to both parties, a move that was not made , according to them.
The Haifa Municipality stated: The kindergarten structure that was temporarily loaned to the Leo Buck Education Center will be returned to the use of the municipal education system and will be operated as a municipal kindergarten at no cost, through the municipal education system.
Haifa Municipality CEO Ohad Segev:
The municipality's assets are a precious and rare resource that should be used by all the city's residents and its children in an equal manner and respond to the changing and updated needs of the city. This is a mandatory procedure, which is done as a matter of routine with various associations, when in any case the needs of the neighborhood and all of the city's residents come first!
It was also communicated from Haifa Municipality:
The municipal building that was previously loaned for use by the center is required for the needs of the municipal education system and will be operated, starting from the next school year, as a municipal kindergarten, which will be available to the children of the neighborhood within the framework of the free compulsory education law.
The municipality of Haifa demanded the restoration of the building about a year ago, at the beginning of 2020, but it responded, before the law and with the approval of the city council, to the request of the director of the center to extend the possession of the building for another year, in order not to harm the registration of the children of the Leo Buck Kindergarten and to allow the center to prepare for the transfer of the building in a manner organized. The municipality's need for the garden structure, as well as the approval given, as mentioned, to the front from the law, was communicated, clarified and emphasized in a series of meetings that took place between CEO Leo Buck and the CEO of the municipality, the legal advisor and other municipal officials who dealt with the issue.
Last night (Tuesday 16/2/21) at the city council meeting, the municipality announced, officially, that the decision has already been made and intends to implement it, without further discussion, see a link to the report from the meeting:
From the Leo Buck Education Center, following the announcement in the City Council last night, it was delivered to Lai Fe:
The city council's decision to cancel the allocation to the Rimon kindergarten was made contrary to the mayor's express commitment and without thinking for a single moment about the welfare of the children and parents.
The decision that was made last night was made without a discussion with the Leo Buck Education Center, contrary to the mayor's express commitment at the city council meeting of 3/3/20 to hold such a discussion, and without thinking for a single moment about the welfare of the children and parents living in the neighborhood, and it is not acceptable to us.
As an old education center in Haifa, we care first and foremost for the benefit of the children, the parents and all the residents of the neighborhoods around the education center.
The vast majority of the parents of the children registered for kindergarten live in neighborhoods from the registration area, so the municipality's decision last night is in contradiction to its duty towards these parents.
Despite the decision, we will continue to do for the benefit of the children of the neighborhoods near Leo Buck and the children of Haifa in general, who choose the unique education that we have been providing for decades.
Especially in the year of Corona, in which it was not possible to actually find alternatives to kindergarten, we expected the municipality to take the situation into account more.
We will consider our steps and examine how we can undo the evil of the decree and prevent the serious harm to children who wish to enroll in kindergarten and their parents.
"Gan Rimon (mandatory Leo Buck Kindergarten) has been operating there for 35 years, even though the municipality claims that we received the building "temporarily". Also, it is a recognized, unofficial kindergarten, and not a private kindergarten"
In the letter that Rabbi Ofek Meir, manager of Leo Beck, sent this week (Sun. 14/2/21) to Mayor Einat Kalish Rotem, he states that he was promised by the municipality that there would be a dialogue between the parties regarding the evacuation of the garden, but such a dialogue never took place, and the municipality decided , "unilaterally and forcefully", so it is written, that you will not allow the continuation of the activity of the kindergarten on the property. According to Ofek, Leo Beck needs a much longer period of time than the municipality allows, in order to prepare for such a move, and that the difficulty that will arise from this decision among the parents and children will be enormous, certainly when it is carried out against the background of the crisis year as well - the year of the Corona crisis.
"We received an abandoned building and turned it into a gem, we invested hundreds of thousands of shekels in the building over the years", reported from the management of Leo Buck
Hadva Almog, a member of the city council, gave Hai Fa in response:
After a conversation with CEO Leo Buck, in order to understand the municipality's modus operandi, I was amazed by a recurring pattern of behavior, which does not listen. All intelligence is in one place, and that is in the mayor's office, which holds the education portfolio. The kindergarten has been under Leo Buck's authority for years and over the years has been It is a collaboration between the municipality and Leo Buck, which serves children and families from the area. The municipality has the right to make decisions on the matter, but it cannot be that since August 2020 the CEO of Leo Buck is trying to conduct a dialogue with the municipality and is not succeeding. The decision to bring the issue to the city council without a real dialogue and not a pretend dialogue, that's the approach. And from a practical point of view: what will happen to the students? want to move them.
I am sorry for the conduct since the mayor was elected to the position, without any real regard for the residents, school principals and leaders in the city. Too bad. Let's hope that the common sense of the council members will lead, and not coalitional discipline.
Rabbi Dovi Hayon, a member of the city council, said to Lahi Fe:
The kindergarten received the allocation over thirty years ago. What is the logic of taking and turning over a high-quality, pluralistic, value-oriented kindergarten, about which nothing but good words have been said all these years, and about which satisfaction is overwhelming, and in the same breath, to approve more and more allocations to ultra-orthodox educational institutions in the city? What is the meaning of where and where?
At least check options, come up for discussion, consult. This is the time of Corona, even so, education is suffering severe blows, what is so urgent now? And such a decisive and unprepared announcement. The increasing allocations that the municipality gives to the ultra-Orthodox hurts us, all of us, in liberal Jewish society. .
You chose Kalish, you received concentrated excrement, and now you eat khera. Oh, the pigs continue to roam free and reproduce. We said Kalish, we said everything.
I don't understand, what's the problem? The building belongs to the municipality, and it chooses to prioritize public municipal education over private education. Leo-back managers will be honored to find an alternative. What is there to oppose here?
With all due respect (which I don't have) to the mayor and her gang, the culprit this time is only Leo Beck with a manager who all he knows is to smile hypocritically, slander and then fire anyone who tells him the truth and tries to make amends. This is the tip of the iceberg of the result - turning Lao Bek from an empire into a puddle.
What is the problem that the parents will continue to enroll their children in this kindergarten and that the genius will be the one to finance the losses from its operation?
It's time for you to stop being stupid and impoverished and fire this delusional CEO who closes the activities one after the other and causes you irreparable damage. Did the municipality also take the sports club from you?
Why did you sell Maale Carmel?
All because of money greed shame
This municipality is an extension of A'Ganda 21. The creatures that pull the strings of the municipality will surprise you many more. very badly
On the face of it, it seems that the witch aims to destroy anything good that does not serve her supporters. She will not move an ultra-orthodox garden or harm aid to her vote reserves. All other residents are air for her. Evil and jealousy at levels we have never known.
Haifa municipality disappoints again and again. It is possible to have a respectful conversation with Leobek, and find a solution that will not harm the great team and the parents.
Like everything in the municipality is done by force and without regard for the residents for whose welfare they are responsible. This is bullying for its own sake since there are many buildings that belong to the municipality but are neglected because of it.
On Isaiah Street above and adjacent to the residence there are unmanned rooms that were once gardens. In Ovadia there is a half-empty garden and other places.
The reason is a wretched revenge on the parents of the school who oppose the contractor that the municipality decided to remove the asbestos from the school. A situation that could harm the children and neighbors in the area.
It's good that the garden in Leu Bek is closed.