Government Orders Closure Of Ashkenazi Girls Only School

Ministry of Education Director-General Shimshon Shoshani issued a closure order Sunday against a temporary institution used as a school for Ashkenazi girls who have refused to study together with Sephardi girls.

Closure order against school for Ashkenazi girls only
74 Ashkenazi girls studying on separate 'temporary' premises in Emmanuel after parents refused to allow them to study with Sephardi girls
Yaheli Moran Zelikovich • Ynet

Ministry of Education Director-General Shimshon Shoshani issued a closure order Sunday against a temporary institution used as a school for Ashkenazi girls who have refused to study together with Sephardi girls.

The Beit Yaacov school in the West Bank settlement of Emmanuel had separated Sephardi girls from 74 Ashkenazi girls, and the High Court ruled that the Sephardi girls should be incorporated in an equal fashion and without discrimination. However, parents of the Ashkenazi girls opposed the court's decision.

The parents announced they would refuse to allow their daughters to continue to study at the school. The Education Ministry then instructed the local authority to submit claims against the parents with the police, indicating that they had broken the mandatory education law.

However, the local authority chose to defend the parents and left the Ministry to submit the claim itself. It was also discovered that the 74 Ashkenazi girls were studying in a temporary "school". The police are responsible for enforcing the closure order.

The decision to act against the temporary "school" was welcomed by Yoav Laloum, chairman of Noar C'Halacha, an organization fighting discrimination against Mizrahim in haredi institutions. "I am happy that the Education Ministry is acting against those who do not respect the law," he said.

Stigma
Last week the state comptroller announced that a special committee would be established to investigate the issue of discrimination in state-recognized independent educational institutions, with particular emphasis on Ashkenazi institutions which refuse to take on Sephardi students. The move comes following a recent increase in the number of discrimination claims.

"It's hard to grasp that independent education is a separate autonomous body," said Rabbi Avraham Laiserson, chairman of the independent school system and representative of the institutions being accused of discrimination. "There is no basis for the things being claimed. I want to deny this false stigma that has stuck to independent education."

"I won't say there are no problems, but this system was established decades ago for the sole purpose of taking in olim from North Africa, Tunis and Iraq, and offering them an education," he continued. "I blame the press for the headlines. We even organized plastic rooms just for Sephardi girls in one school. I want you to see with your own eyes, and you'll understand that your facts are mistaken. See how happy the Mizrahi students are with us."

"There are problems here and there, but parent committees sort out such problems," he added. "There is discrimination in many places, but we're the last ones you can blame. Out of all the cases and claims, there isn't a single example of a court ruling that there is discrimination. After you've investigated, come and apologize, then celebrate."

Kobi Nahshoni contributed to this report.

[Hat Tip: Michelle.]

Comments

[Bilaam's Ass]

sounds like the ayatollah's "its all wonderful" line...

[A. Nuran]

Whaddaya mean the darkies aren't happy? We let 'em sing outside the cabin after supper, don't we?

[harold]

They should also refuse to pay any of the teachers or administrators of the breakaway school. It is in poor taste for a private school to do this but for a public funded school it is chutzpa.

[who knows?]

Ok, they discriminate against people of patrelineal descent, against converts, against secular Jews, but now they also discriminate against full Jews with darker skins then theirs? What is going on here?

Are the nazies coming back, but this time dressed in Haredi Jew clothes?

[Michelle]

B"H

The problems aren't just in Israel, either. I can't tell you how many schools in America are just as bad.

[Yoel Mechanic]

I'd like to see some solid investigative journalism as to the reason for this situation. I know that a lot on this blog already know it all, I would still like to see some evidence to evaluate. If it is caused by baseless prejudice (and isn't all prejudice "baseless" by definition?) then I'd rather hear about how one is going to go about doing something about it. Moreover, the Torah paradigm, all that rhetoric about Klal Yisrael, and Am Echad, is totally against such prejudice, therefore I would expect all the frummies to be at the forefront of a movement to fight against such prejudice. And I really do expect that to come about, and tired of hearing negativity about this.

[who knows?]

YM, no "frummi" will come against it, because it all in line with the main thrust of their ideology - "us verses them" stuff.

Race, country of origin, yichus... anything that separates people is welcome by Haredi the crowd.

[Yechiel]

Sefaradim are a different culture than Askenazim. Pickles and ice cream don't mix... Secular jews simply can't process this. End of story.
One of Israel's founders (secular jew) is claimed to have said: "I despise the Arabs because they remind me of the Frenken".

[Jay]

I am sick of the Ashkenazi hatred towards Sephardim in Israel.

[Responsible Citizen]

@Yechiel-As a Sephardic Jew, I take great offense at your stupidity. Come to the Ohel Shalom Torah Center in Chicago, a Sephardi Bait Knesset where all Jews are not only welcome but peacefully co-exist in an atmosphere of authentic Torah.

[who knows?]

Responsible Citizen, you can not portray Sefardim as all nice and welcoming fellows. When it comes to prejudices Sefardim, as a group, are not any better then Ashkenazim.

In fact, the greatest racists exist among Sefardim - Syrian Community. Sadly, Sefardi racism is just as bad as Ashkenazi one.

[Doug P.]

This conflict between Seph. and Ashk. proves the point: Talmudic Judaism is RACIST by nature.

[The]

yet these stupid frenkim flock to the charedim , adopt their friggin garb and want to be so much like them. pathetic!!!!

charedim and sephardicism dont mix!

sephardicism (if i may use that word) is way superior. i am speaking of the great sephardic tradition of maimonides, judah halevi, moses benamozegh , isaac nissim, isaac halevi etc. etc. etc.

[Yoel Mechanic]

HaRav Amnon Yitzchak (of Kol Shofar... known for his many videos and cassettes) had an interesting analogy. He said that the various Jewish groups (he was mainly talking about datim in Israel) of Ashkenaz, Sefard, Chareidi, Benei Akivah, etc. are like branches in the military... Navy, Marines, etc. They have a lot of rivalry, and squabbling but are still party of the same Army. Therefore, despite the squabbling, they do not actually war with each other. (The Neturei Karta, he said jokingly, were the commandos) Anyway, I believe he was trying to publicly answer questions in a manner to lead to more peaceable relations between these groups, by use of this analogy: that we *are* on the same side. I know many frummies, such as HaRav Amnon Yitckak, who do have such irenic intentions. I hope to hear from more voices like that in the future. Sefard and Askenaz *are* different culturally. And I have met lots of people in all communities that are in fact very opposed to inter-culture prejudice. For various reasons there is a lot of inter-marriage between these groups too, which is another incentive to keep it down with the squabbling.

[Responsible Citizen]

@Who knows-Our Sephardic communities in the Midwest, Chicago, Indianapolis, & Detroit have never displayed the insularism of the New York & New Jersey "SY's"

[The Observer]

Could it be that we Sephardics are better looking than the Ashkenazim. At least we have these elegant eyebrows, also called the leeches on top of our eyes. No hook noses for us. Think also, we the ones from Spain turned our also better than the Russians. After 10 centuries of those former Khazar origins no doubt the separation is complete. Actually I come from a line of
conversos(mother side fortunately)but truly I appreciate being better from the Sepharad than the Ashkenaz. Oye Majo a veces hay que joderse. Viva Sepharad siempre.

[A. Nuran]

All this tribalism, traditionalism, ashkenazism and sephardism. What ever happened to Judaism? There weren't Ashkenazi and Sephardi at Mt. Sinai.

[The Observer]

Actually A, Duran not even Moses was there. As I say all three braches have zero connection to Judea. Converting to a religion gives you no right to claim DNA and land. Religion and genetics don't mix. As I mentioned my sephardic DNA comes from a line of conversos. I don't even practice religions. Hate them all. Just a convenient excuse for a sound business. In keeping with my branch, just think where one of the greatest philosophers came from:Baruch Spinoza, who single-handedly discovered God is nothing but a work of fiction. In keeping with the subject, he encountered for that plenty of problem with Netherlander Ashkenazim. Yeah got to admit there is a feud between us.