Immanuel, Israel – Some 70 students at the Beit Yaakov girls’ school in Immanuel have not been attending class, in the wake of Education Ministry attempts to force the ultra-Orthodox institution to comply with a Supreme Court ruling against segregating Sephardi and Ashkenazi students.
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The ministry may prosecute the parents of the absent students under the mandatory education law, officials said.
In August the court ruled that Beit Yaakov and the Independent Education Center have “impinged upon the Sephardi students’ right to equality” by segregating them from their Ashkenazi peers. It also said the Education Ministry “deviated from its authority by not using all the means available to prevent discrimination.”
The court demanded the school “remove every formal and material sign of the rampant discrimination.” The court ruling came in response to a petition by Yoav Lalum of the Noar Kahalacha association, and Dr. Aviad Hacohen, dean of the Sha’arei Mishpat law school.
Two weeks ago, Lalum and Hacohen complained the school and education network were in contempt of court, and were not following the ruling. The Education Ministry’s comment on the complaint states that representatives of the school network claimed they did indeed remove every sign of segregation, including different uniforms, different recess times and different school rules. However, the educators also said they were still entitled to divide the students between “Hassidic” and “General” programs. Lalum says the Hassidic program is attended exclusively by Ashkenazi girls, while the general program is attended by Sephardi girls.
The school has 215 students from first to eighth grade, 35 percent of whom are Sephardi.
Ministry director general Shimshon Shoshani rejected the school’s interpretation of the verdict. “The existence of two separate programs based on different customs is unacceptable … the two programs must be merged, and the discrimination must stop immediately,” he wrote in the ministry’s comment, submitted to the Supreme Court.
The school was given until December 10 to carry out the ministry order. A ministry inspector who came to the school that day found that 70 of the Hassidic students were not there. “It was therefore impossible to verify that the classes had been merged, and that the students were studying together and wearing identical uniform,” the inspector wrote.
The inspector returned to the school on Sunday, and found the Hassidic students still were not there, “but right outside the school I encountered a group of students who would not tell me where they were heading.
In a nearby hall owned by the local council, there was a group of students who apparently were studying, with a teacher apparently hired by the parents.” The school denied any connection to the group. The ministry sent letters to the school and the local council, reminding them that by law, parents must send their children to school.
It also said that unless the segregation ends, “The ministry will consider taking steps to enforce integration at the school, including withholding budgets or canceling the school’s license.”
Senior school officials rejected the argument that the separate programs were discriminatory. “We respected the court’s decision and unified the programs. It wasn’t simple, and some parents decided their children shouldn’t study together,” an official said.
Lalum responded the teachers teaching at the council’s hall were from the Hassidic program, and said the claim that this was an independent initiative was little more than “pretense.” He called on the ministry “stop talking and begin to act to stop the discrimination.”
Good – let them stay home.
The segregation that has been practiced is pure racism against Sefardim, hidden under the guise of frum claims of piety and and unwillingness to mix with those with “lower standards”. I am no fan of the Supreme Court, but they got this one absolutely right.
There should be zero tolerance for such blatant racism, which is unfortunately widely practiced n Chareidi circles.
How wonderful!
Us Jews have our very own racists! in the name of religion of course
If it looks like racism, sounds like racism………….
Disgusting beyuond words. Parents teaching their kids hatred from a young age.
It is very important that we continue our long tradition of sinas chinam (yes, yes, I know…..zeh lo b’chinam). Hey Jews, this is NOT what’s meant by ma’aseh a’vo’say’nu b’ya’daynu. This is why there is no Bais Hamikdash; and why we along with ka’va’ya’chol the Shechina are in galus (yes, yes, I know….this and internet cell phones). The Nazi’s did not separate Jews from each other in the camps based on their minhagim or whether they followed the Remah or Bais Yosef (or maybe I am wrong about tht and someone can enlighten me as to whether our relatives in the camps requested separate facilities based on where they came from).
Maaseh Avos Siman LeBanim.
Ya’akov hid Dinah because he did want Esav to have a negative influence on her.
This action did not meet the approval of Hashem. On the contrary, he should have welcomed to the opportunity to have Dinah be Mekarev Esav. Yaakov was punished through Dinah becuase he prevented her having a positive influence on Esav.
The article mentions about a difference of customs. As everyone knows (or should know) the Sefardic customs are much older & have a greater yichus than the Chasidic ones which were just made up within the last couple hundred years (if even that long).
And yes I am Ashkenazi
why do they discriminate against the sefardim? this should not be tolerated.
Nebech, on ALL of us…
Strange; as much as the charedi sector abhor the chilonim-they picked up their Zionistic ideology of Ashkenazic superiority. While the chilonim have more or less left the racist ideology ( the appointment of Amir Peretz as minister of Defense was heralded in the Israeli media as the break from the old boy Yiddish speaking Ashkenazic network ) nonetheless the Israeli chareidim ( the Americans are much more egalitarian) hold tight to the racist Zionist drivel!
When you get to know the Sefardishe people and their warmth and positive outlook to life, it should be an asset for others to learn from. Many of us who consider ourselves Ashkinazy, are from Sefardy roots.
I enjoy their music, their Rabbis and their stories and Chas V’Shalom to look down on them.
But when some Ashkenazy have a shidduch candidate with an issue or problem then Sefardishe is good!
This is totaly rediculous!
I can’t find anywhere in the Torah referring to “Sephardim” or “Ashkenazim”. There’s a lot about “Israel”.
I’m sick of hearing how the frum Ashkenazim in EY “picked up” this habit from the Zionists, almost as if it just “happened” 60 years ago and it’s not totally their fault. Stop with the excuses and learn some Torah, heavy emphasis on the mussar too.
If Arab terrorists feel the need where they have to bomb somewhere in Israel, I’ll have a ready address to give them.
To #14 . While the Chareidim shortsightedly created some issues nonetheless this racist ideology did stem from the secular Ashkenazic “cultured” Zionists who looked down upon the “uncouth” Sephardim. Ben- Gurion said ” I hate Arabs because they remind us of Sefardim”.
Will these people stop using the term Hasidic, please. I hope they mean Charedi. THis goes against every teaching of the baal shem tov who taught us the preciousness of every jewish neshama.
These kids are acting as they were taught in school. If this school had any sort of real Torah values to instill in the younger generation, they should issue a statement kicking these 70 students out.
The real chutzpa is despite such a public act of sinas chinam being done, the school isn’t taking any disciplinary actions. Apparently discipline is strictly reserved for girls whose stocking are too thin, and other vital matters.
Okay all of you. I’m an ashkenasi married to a sefardi so don’t call me prejudiced.
BUT maybe instead of always judging things according to the way you see it yourselves, you can open your minds to be less judgemental of everyone or anything that is not as you see it.
I’ve lived in Israel for many many years. There is a real difference between Ashkenasi and Sefardi cultures. There are very real reasons that Ashkenasim do not want their kids picking things up from Sefardim. It’s not hatred. It’s trying to protect their kids from things they don’t want them exposed to.
Of course not everyone is like that. We can’t group everyone into one large group.
I myself saw this repeatedly when we lived in a building with many different people: some not yet frum, Ashkenasim, Chasidim, Sefardim, etc. We mostly all got along really well together and everyone was very accepting of the other families. Our kids played together….
BUT in the Sefardi homes (all of them) my kids were exposed to things I would never have them exposed to. Ex: the way the kids are spoken to/ treated, things that are spoken about and done that I would never choose to have let my child hear/see.
Don’t be so quick to jud
this is unfortunately sad thing, the lubavitchter rebbe ,r. m.m.schneerson,these kinds of things delayed the geula! althought is hard to try to love another yid,learning tanya helps us to see each jew a part of g-d,so it’s easier to see the soul,even if you donot like what the person is doing.everyone should learn tanya,this will hasten the geula! you do not need to be lubavitcher or chabad. may we see it now!
I want to see if you people asuuming you are not chasidish would try to send your daughter to bies rochel in willb and get rejected if that is discrimination (or a chasidsha girl try to go to prospect in flat) IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DISCRIMINATION OR SIN AS CHINOM its simply different minhagim different culteres diffrent ways.
Everyone on this board is posturing. Your nkids go to beis yaakov with 50/50 ashkenazy and sephardy kids? the schools teach all the minhogim from every culture? what planet do you live on? flatbush, bp and willi are all segregated much worse than the school in Ashdod.
First, these are litvasher chareidim and primarily misnagdim and not from any known chassidus. Second, whatever you want to call them, these dreche chareidi parents should be put in jail until their children return to school. Why do the courts in EY tolerate this massive disrepect for the civil (much less such a big chilul hashem).
what material do they teach these girls? I would venture to say the majority of the literature was written by SEPHARDI M
One shtreimel, one bent down, one bent up, one straw, one wide rimmed, one with a feather, one kipah, one hamburg, one cap, one spudik. Each one an individual, Yet joined together, Ten men ready for One purpose to daven to their ONE creator.
I don’t think Beis Ruchel in Willi. would reject anybody for not being Chasidic, although she would probably feel out of place. They would probably reject her no matter who she is if she watches TV or her mother drives or doesn’t cover her hair.
And Sephardic girls & boys are welcomed by both Satmars in Williamsburg bec. for the most part they are very scrupulous in their Yiddishkeit. I don’t know how their religiousity measures up in Immanuel, but why the need to base admissions on race if religious observance is the issue?
Why cant schools in NY and this school in Ashdod be like some other schools out there? I went to a BY outside of NY and we had girls who were sefardi, ashkenazi, chasidish, chabad… ect. The teachers taught everyone the same but during halacha they would announce “ok, if you daven XYZ and you forgot Visen Tal Umatar you would do this…if you dave ABC you would do ….” If the teacher forgot a nussach a girl would raise her hand and ask, and if the teacher did not know they would ask and come back the next day with an answer. Why do we have to be stuck up and each type to themselves? There are wonderful things that I learned from different “types” and there are bad traits that I saw (and tried not to learn) from each group as well.
Perkei Avos- who is a wise man, he who can learn from everyone…
We are not a class based system, and schools should not reject or accept a student based on their yichus, nussach, minhagim ect. Look at the child and see who they are.
My children go to Chabad schools in Canada, at least 35 percent of the student population are Sefaradim. The kids learn about Minhagei Chabad and Sefarad. It is wonderful chinuch on the highest level of Torah and Chassidus, and they learn to love and accept Jews from different backgrounds than themselves.
My children are yirei shomayim, chassidishe and very tolerant and open-minded about other cultures within the Jewish community. That is the greatest gift that I can give them.
This story in Israel is revolting and gross chillul Hashem. It is pure sinas chinam.
I am grateful that my children are spared the indoctrination of hatred and condescending attitude towards others with different minhagim and even levels of observance.
I am so grateful to the Lubavitcher Rebbe – a true leader of ALL -who tirelessly stressed over and over again that every JEW must be loved unconditionally, and that ALL Jewish children are UNZERE, ALL Jewish children are HEIMISHE, no matter their background or level of Jewish observance.
Listen All: My humble take on this matter is that unfortunately, the Pure Zionistic and nationalistic goal of “kechol hagoyim Bais yisrael” – that we shall – Ch”v , be a “nation like all other nations”, and particularly like the western world — seems to be becoming ch”v a reality. We have to copy everything the american Goy does. So just like in the US there was a period of “segregation”, and the blacks had to fight against it, the same has to happen in Eretez Hakodesh. But, nebech, they don’t realize that Klal yisrael consists of twelve holy tribes, with various customs and nuschuos, which all go back to basic holy origins. how foolish for the chosen people, to want to copy the goyisha shtus!