Emmanuel, Israel – School Fined $1,350 a Day for Discriminating Against Sephardim

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    Archived Photos Israeli school girlsEmmanuel, Israel – The ultra-Orthodox network that runs the Beit Yaakov girls school in the West Bank settlement of Immanuel must pay NIS 5,000 for every day it continues to violate an August court order requiring it to eliminate any vestige of ethnic discrimination at the school, the High Court of Justice ruled Wednesday.

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    Seventy-four girls, mostly of Ashkenazi origin, have been studying in an adjacent unauthorized school since the court, along with the Education Ministry, called on the school to stop holding separate classes for Ashkenazi and Sephardi students.

    Wednesday’s ruling came in response to a petition by the head of Noar Kahalacha, an organization that combats anti-Sephardi discrimination, accusing the school of contempt of court. The High Court said the school had authorized the girls’ absence.
     Noar Kahalacha lawyer Aviad Hacohen called implementation of the court’s ruling “an important test of the rule of law.”

    “It is hoped that the parents of the students and the teachers and all the others involved in the improper discrimination come to their senses,” he said.

    No response was available from the ultra-Orthodox education network.

    The court has scheduled a hearing with the parents of the 74 girls, who will be asked to explain why they should not be viewed as accessories to the violation of the earlier order. They will also be asked whether furniture and equipment from the Beit Yaakov school is being used at the unauthorized institution and whether teachers from Beit Yaakov are being employed, either directly or indirectly, at the new school.

    The school administration and municipal council have refused to get involved in proceedings against the parents, prompting the Education Ministry to file a complaint with the police contending that the new arrangement is a violation of the compulsory education law. Several weeks ago the ministry also ordered the unauthorized school closed.


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    30 Comments
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    Shimon
    Shimon
    13 years ago

    I can understand teaching Halacha in separate classes, but everything else is usually pure sinas chinam.

    This was my experience when learning in an Israeli yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel.(and this was a mainstream right wing yeshiva)

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Why cant each keep to his own?

    The Sfardim should be proud of their heritage and the Askanazim should not be forced to live with a very different and at sometimes noisy culture.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    This whole affair and the school group’s failure to take action is a real chilul hashem and perpetuates the terrible and continuing discrimination against sephardim in EY. They should also fine each of the parents until they submit to the Court’s order. There is no excuse for yidden to treat other yidden as if they were some second class, inferior breed.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    When a SECULAR highest court of Israel has to fight discrimination in ORTHODOX yeshivos in THE Holy Land, you know that Moshiach is NOT going to come anytime soon, probably never if this type of cultural and institutional sinas chinam has been accepted in frum communities for hundreds of years. This is not against Jew v. Arab, secular v. orthodox, it’s hatred between one Torah observing Jews v. another Torah observing Jews.

    This school board and community should be ashamed of itself because they are mocking Torah with their false daily facades and the empty crying on TishaBav about destruction of Beis Hamikdash due to sinas chinam.

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    13 years ago

    baruch hashem! let me tell you something, yes it’s true that there are differences in culture between mizrachi, chareidi, sfardi, felashi, jews, but this is all meaningless in the end of the day. we’re all jews and we’re facing a cold and cruel world that dislikes us all equally. the last thing we need is sinas chinam in the name of torah, being spewed from the mouths of “Rabbis”.
    g’loibst mir, it didn’t work in america when german jews, lithuanian jews, poilishe jews, russian jews and galitzianers (even though we galitzianers are better) didn’t get along. only when we all went to the same schools and yeshivas did american jewry become a sight to behold, a unified front of kugel and chulent!

    GS
    GS
    13 years ago

    I seriously doubt that Moshe Rabbeynu or the shvatim for that matter were Ashkenazim. That great culture was developed over 1,000 years in Germany largely (Artscroll has a new book on it). But it was preceded by an older Mizrachi nusach which is more akin to what Jews followed before the churban of the Beit (Beis, if you prefer) HaMikdash. Ashkenazim chap a reyn on Sefardi and Mizrachi roots. Not the other way around.

    Truth Hurts
    Truth Hurts
    13 years ago

    I hate to say this but it is true. All those whom think this Sinas Chinom have one thing in common. They have never had a child in an Israeli school. I have 2.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Great, so now the school will close down, and the sefaradi girls won’t have any school! (The Ashkenazim have left already, and the court wants the school to force them back.)
    By the way, don’t Ashkenazi and Sefaradi girls pray and learn in a different pronounciation?

    green
    green
    13 years ago

    i teach a class of both ashkanzic and sefardic children and there is nothing more beautiful, or more jewish. we are the jewish nateion – children of all different backgrounds and minhagim….as the teacher i teach the minhagim that sefardim follow and that ashkanazim follow …it brings a love an appreication for all things jewish , for all the mitzvos and on how all the yidden celebrate Hashem’s commandments.

    How
    How
    13 years ago

    Why force? Just pay each student a voucher and let them go or start a school where they are wanted?

    Motti
    Motti
    13 years ago

    All I can say, again, is that it is sad that there are Yidden that feel that they have to discriminate against their fellow brothers and sisters, just for having a different background!
    They should be ashamed of calling themselves orthodox Jews or even Jews!
    All the mitvos one does are worthless if he or she, on the other side, persecute fellow brothers and sisters, thinking they are worth less then them.
    Shame on you all! It’s time to make a cheshbon haNefesh and account for your behaviour, demanding forgiveness for your ignorance from Hashem and the poor victimes!
    Where are the Rabbonim? or are we really in the generation of Erev Rav, where there are no real Rabbonim willing to speak up for true Torah values?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I’m amazed that you are so nice to each other. Say the truth out-loud – there is racism in the Jewish communities and this is just one example. Many of you will die and not let their son marry a sfaradiya… it is nothing more than a joke to me.
    The real historical jewish community was nothing like we are today. But one thing is for sure, they were much more similar to the sfaradim or the yamanim. They definitely didn’t have blue eyes or blond hair.
    Wake up, we are all the same.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I don’t get it, here in the USA we have separate school for the Sephardi and Ashkenazi students, they have many differences in the way they live according to Halocha, i.e. eating rice on Pesach etc. so why can’t it be understood in Israel that they need separate schools just like in the rest of the world.
    Next: who gives the right to the Israeli secular court system to advise the religious Jews as how to educate their children? the court is governed ONLY by those who could not care less about the Torah laws, and the community in Emanuel are Torah observers, the right thing would be to put this situation in the hands of the Gedolim and ad-hear to their Psak.
    I think what the Israeli government is trying to do here, is the following; they are trying to get their hands into the religious schooling system (boys and girls) and slowly sway them from the Torah way of life, as the government has done in the past, It’s scare but if the court wins on this one, they will continue to destroy all the religious schools in Israel,give them some time and the job will get done, the only choice will be is to close ALL of the religious schools who are supported by the state of Israel.