Summer visits to Nazi death camps in danger of cancelation
A spat between the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Finance may lead to youth delegations ceasing trips to death camps in Poland, as Foreign Min. employees demanding higher pay threaten to stop issuing of diplomatic passports to security guards who travel with students.
Some 8,169 high school students were supposed to start the trip to Poland throughout August, in 70 delegations, to visit the camps. All of the students have already paid NIS 5,000 to attend.
Employees at the Foreign Ministry, who are demanding wage increases, have stated they are willing to stop issuing of diplomatic passports to Shin Bet security guards—who are supposed to accompany the student delegations and ensure their safety—as part of their protest.
Serious headway was made Tuesday in talks between the Foreign and Finance ministries regarding the new wage agreement. However, employees at the former have said it isn't enough and they plan to continue sanctions until an agreement is signed, due to their lack of trust in Finance Ministry officials.
Director General of the Ministry of Education Shmuel Aboav was called in to resolve the matter. In an urgent letter to his counterpart at the Foreign Ministry Yuval Rotem, Aboav made it clear his ministry will not let students leave for the trip without Shin Bet security.
Aboav also warned that should sanctions continue, all visits to the death camps will be canceled.
Should the Poland visits indeed be canceled, this would not only be a pedagogical detriment to the students, but also a financial one, as the NIS 5,000 sum—that has already been paid—will not be refunded in case of cancelation.
By Thursday morning, the labor court approved the Ministry of Education's request for injunctions and decided the student delegations to Poland will leave as planned all through the month of August despite Foreign Ministry employees' sanctions.
Within the next three days, the Foreign and Finance ministries will come together to find a solution to the employees' plight.
