Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri promised Sunday to “revitalize” the party’s education network, El Hama’ayan, through his management of the Interior Ministry. 

Yisrael Hayom reported that during an interview with “Day to Day,” Deri stressed that funding would bring the cultural organization new life. 

“It can’t be that we want to reestablish El Hama’ayan, and we won’t have a large budget. Neither us nor other haredi institutions. In order for to us to act, we need to be able to flourish.”

According to Deri, “it’s a miracle that El Hama’ayan hasn’t closed and that the network hasn’t been cut in half.” 

“I hope to revive everything from scratch, and if we receive the interior portfolio, then through the municipalities we we will receive renewed support,” the Shas leader added. 

Deri also promised change to kollels and yeshivas. “Because of supervisions, controls, and licensing, it’s impossible to open a kollel in under two years. We want to eliminate all that.”

During the interview, Deri also attacked the Jewish Home party, blaming them for allowing haredi religious institutions to rot into decay during the 19th Knesset. 

“You were in the government for two years and you made a terrible move in leaving us outside. You had the religious affairs and finance committees and you hardened our steps. We won’t let you do it again,” Deri charged. 

“We will go with you [into the government] hand in hand,” Deri pledged, before warning, “but you only have eight seats and the haredi parties have 13. Therefore, the Finance Committee and the Religious Affairs Committee will be ours, because we are 13 against eight.”

“I have no doubt a government will be established and that [Jewish Home chair Naftali] Bennett will be a part of it. But they will have to compromise.”