JERUSALEM (VINnews) — An Israeli teenager was suspended from his school for three days – because he wished to give his friends the merit of putting on Tefillin. 16-year-old Yishai studies at the secular Makif Chet school in Rishon Letzion and puts on Tefillin daily. On Thursday he decided to bring some pairs of Tefillin and enable his friends to perform the mitzvah as well. Yishai placed a table and many friends came by to put on Tefillin themselves. Yishai insists that “there was no attempt to coerce people.”
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Tefillin table in Rishon Letzion school
Yishai’s friends enthusiastically joined the initiative. “They thanked me very much for it and there was a sense of unity,” Yishai related. “While we were putting on Tefillin one of the teachers came by and warned that she would summon the principal, who arrived a few minutes later and said angrily: “What is this here, a synagogue? Let the kids put on Tefillin at home and not here.”
Yishai was very disappointed but asked the principal to wait until the boys had finished putting on Tefillin and then he would remove the table. However the principal continued to scream at him despite his speaking with her calmly. The pupils were scared by her screams, they took off the Tefillin quickly and walked away. One kid who was putting on Tefillin for just the second time in his life, she took the Tefillin off his head and made him very nervous.
Yishai asked the principal why she was doing this in the middle of the kid’s prayers. In response she picked up the table with the Tefillin and placed it with the school superintendent. I was very upset but kept my cool, I was ready to burst into tears. She embarrassed me in front of the entire school, I was shocked. I don’t remember such chaos before.
Yishai said that the superintendent agreed with him that “a Jewish boy shouldn’t have to be afraid to put Tefillin on in school.”
In the wake of the incident Yishai was suspended from school for three days. The principal claimed that Yishai has “spoken aggressively” with her and had taken a table without permission to place Tefillin. The Rishon Letzion municipality said that “We respect any activities initiated by pupils and especially placing Tefillin, as long as they are done respectfully and in coordination with the school’s management.”
Yishai denied that he had spoken disrespectfully to the principal.
After the incident was publicized, a Gerer chasid from Arad heard about it and was very disturbed. He decided to buy the boy a Siddur engraved with his name and a Tefillin bag and brought it all the way to Rishon Letzion to give the boy encouragement.
What a courageous young man. All of the boys who put on tefilin, and those who wanted to but didn’t get a chance, should be gebentched. Klal Yisroel is a beautiful nation!
Pretty sure that “gay rights activists” and other garbage would not be suspended…..
May this disgraceful incident encourage many more boys to put on tefillin daily, and be allowed in every school!!
Bravo one man I mean boy doing more then some organizations. The fact that he did this and others joined him is an incredible achievement.
Wow.
How can we get in tough with Yishai too?
This boy is an incredible person.
Except for the ending, one of the saddest stories I have read this year. Stories of people dying are always terrible, but this is a self inflicted spiritual wound against a boy trying to bring a little yiddishkeit to his friends in a very respectful way.
This young man should be allowed the opportunity to debate his principal before the entire school body. He should be afforded the option of bringing with him a “second”, preferably an individual well versed in Torah and kiruv, to help buttress his case.
Let the principal try to explain why Israelis, whose cultural and historical claim to the land is inextricably bound to the Torah, can disposses the Arabs while leading their lives as an “Am Chofshi “. It’s like using a product, while voiding its warranty, and demanding its replacement.
Let Yishai lead them in reciting the Shema and its attendant brachas and warnings. It would be a wonderful learning experience for all.
I love how he kept his composure. This kid’s now a star in Olam Haba, like the famous expensive “tefillin exchanged for Arba-Minim story” were the husband did not get angry at his wife for biting the pitum.
Zionism at its purest form, a student wants to grow in Yahadus and he is suspended like a criminal but in this Zionists warped world if he “came out of the closet” he’d be treated like a king. Yet YU and Young Israel “synagogues” pray for this ideology.
seculars! if a trans wanted to use the other bathroom, that would be ok, but tephilin? this is against their policy.
Way to go Yishai! Not surprising that the school is called “Makif Chet”…
Let’s Go fund me.
“Yishai said that the superintendent agreed with him that “a Jewish boy shouldn’t have to be afraid to put Tefillin on in school.””
This is in the supposedly “Jewish” “State”, not in, say, Saudi Arabia.
In fact, in Saudi Arabia, they would surely be more tolerant.
The Zionists are so evil and vile.
Clearly this wicked principal is a member of the wicked Meretz party whose member desecrated a pair of תפילין outside voting station, and ב”ה that Meretz party received 3.16% of votes, just under 3.25% required threshold, so Good Riddance to all these רשעים גמורים
How can we contact this courageous you boy?
Above VIN ran a piece on Chabad in Sweden promoting the same mitzva. Following the article was a string of talkbacks that mocked and decried the act. Jewish unity, can’t get enough of it….
What do we expect from atheists. Atheism is worse than idoltry.
HE WILL ACCOMPLISH MORE MITZAH TEFILIN IN THE WORLD THAN CHABAD HAS ACHIEVE D IN 40 YEARS , AND FREE PR.
KOL HA KAVOD
we once had a boy in yeshivah who did not put on Tfilin, he was kicked out of yeshivah.
was that wrong too? of course not
You’d get into much more trouble for quietly listening , with ear buds , to goyish music , in a right wing yeshiva in New York .
Rule is a rule not sure what’s worng with suspending him.
He says, she says. He disrupted school without prior arrangements.