Hasidim Demand Stricter Observance From Sefardic Families Before Ending Segregation

Hasidic parents demand the Sefardic girls adhere to a particularly stringent dress code, that they do not associate with non-haredi friends or family, and various other restrictions.

Emmanuel school to implement court ruling of desegregation

Haredi girls' parents demand stricter rules in Beit Ya’acov school before they send their daughters back.

DAN IZENBERG • Jerusalem Post   
 
The haredi parents of the girls enrolled in the Beit Ya’acov primary school in Emmanuel have rejected the new school regulations drawn up by the Independent Education Center (Hinuch Atzma’i) [i.e., Chinuch Atzmi] and informed the Education Ministry that they will only send their children back to school if stricter regulations are adopted, their lawyer, Mordechai Green, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

Green added that if the regulations are changed to their satisfaction, the parents who had withdrawn their daughters will send their children back to school and have them study with the Sephardi girls.

According to a decision by the High Court of Justice last week, each of the parents was supposed to submit a letter by Monday to the Education Ministry promising to obey a court ruling handed down on August 6, 2009, rejecting all forms of discrimination in the school.

For the past several years, the hassidic parents had refused to have their daughters study in mixed classes with Sephardi girls and set up a separate school in the same building, claiming that their children lived by stricter standards than the Sephardi ones. This arrangement officially came to an end in the wake of the High Court ruling, which ruled that it was discriminatory.

As a result, many parents pulled their girls out of the school, and sent them to learn in an unauthorized school during most of the current school year.

Attorney Aviad Hacohen represents Yoav Lalom and the Noar Kahalacha nonprofit organization, who petitioned against the segregated arrangement.

When the hassidic parents refused to obey the ruling, Lalom and Noar Kahalacha asked the High Court to hold the parents and the Independent Education Center in contempt of court.

Last week, the court gave the Independent Education Center and the parents until May 24 to notify it that they agreed to establish a single integrated school without separate tracks, and with one set of regulations for everyone.

Regarding the parents, Justices Edmond Levy, Edna Arbel and Hanan Meltzer wrote, “All of the parents [in the hassidic stream]…will present to the Education Ministry by May 24, a statement in writing regarding their commitment to refrain from violating the court ruling. In the statement, they will also declare that they will send their girls to studies in the school even after the two ‘streams’ are united. Obviously, they must also carry out their promise.

“If any of the parents do not submit this declaration, they will have to pay, starting from May 25, a fine of NIS 200 per day (NIS 400 for two parents) until they stop violating the ruling. Furthermore, we warn the parents that if it emerges that they continue to violate the court ruling after May 31, we will consider forcing them to obey even by issuing arrest orders.”

According to Green, the parents submitted a document to the Education Ministry on Monday promising that they would return their children to the school and not demand separate streams on condition that the set of regulations drafted by the Independent Education Center would be made stricter.

 “We respect the court ruling and we will agree to send our children to school if the regulations are made stricter,” Green said. “This condition does not really clash with the court order.”

The question is, how much more stringent must the regulations be to satisfy the hassidic parents. These parents have demanded that girls adhere to a particularly stringent dress code, that they do not associate with non-haredi friends or family and various other restrictions.

Green told the Post he hoped that the parents’ letter would be acceptable to the court for the time being and that it would not impose a fine, while negotiations continue in an effort to reach agreement on the school regulations.

However, he added that he was not optimistic that the petitioners would accept the parents’ proposal.

“In truth, I don’t see us reaching a solution,” he said. “But I am trying as hard as I can to make it happen.”

As for the Independent Education Center, the Education Ministry, which is administratively responsible for it, informed the court that it had sent letters to all the parents informing them that as of May 24, their children would have to return to the school, where there would only be one stream. It also sent them a copy of the school’s new regulations.

Hacohen, representing the petitioners, informed the state that it accepted the regulations “in order to bring about peace.”

The Education Ministry also informed the court that it intended to make one last stab next week at reaching an agreement with all the parties to the dispute, that is the Independent Education Center, the hassidic parents, the ministry and the petitioners, and would inform the court of the results of this attempt.

Green warned that if the negotiations fail, matters will come to a head after June 1, when the court is expected to make a final decision on whether or not to apply severe sanctions against the parents and/or the Independent Education Center.

[Hat Tip: Michelle.]

Comments

[David]

Don't associate with non-charedi friends or family… You know, I'm fine with these idiots being arrested, maybe if we take their kids away from them, they might grow up to be something more than baby machines!

[David Bar-Magen]

Those sefaradi girls really know how to show some toe. Wowee, is that hot. It's no wonder the hassidic girls can't be in the same room as them.

[Abracadabra]

Green warned that if the negotiations fail, matters will come to a head after June 1, when the court is expected to make a final decision on whether or not to apply severe sanctions against the parents and/or the Independent Education Center.

They're collecting stones and getting antsy with all the new trash bins in town.

But now Boruch Hashem there will be a new cause to riot about after June 1st!

[friend]

I don't understand how can the court threaten to fine and or arrest the parents.
A fine on the school ok, but what law says the parents have no right to home-school their kids or create a separate school that doesn't rely on government support that is run according to their wishes.
I don't support discrimination however the supreme court seems to be overreaching in wanting to impose punishments on parents not just the school and is bound to cause more chareidi riots or the like if it persists.

[Mr. Apikoros]

"Friend," where is the Alef Bet Academy located? Is it eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions?

Or is it just another scam, like countless Haredi "charities?"

[Garnel Ironheart]

I say the Sephardi girls should hike their skirts up just to keep the Ashkenazi princesses away.

Think about it: the Sephardim have everything to win. Smaller class sizes means a better teacher to student ratio. No Yeshivish spoken in the classroom. Less snobbery. Why do they so desperately want these losers back?

[Dave]

I have a new suggestion for Orthodox Jews- I am not yet Orthodox, but I am working on it- take the Tanach and the Talmud as non-negotiables,and then say "everything else (ie. all further commentaries) is on the table for interpretation". This would actually make for a Judaism that many of us could accept and adhere to, and avoid insane chumrot.

[Yerachmiel Lopin]

It is time for the Sephardim to start with their demands. No kids from homes that aren't strict about Beis Yosef shechitah. No kids that associate with family or frineds who aren't strict about Beis Yosef Shechitah. No kids that speak lashon hakodesh in anything other than a sephardi tahor accent. No Polish/Russian clothing or food.

Of course this is absurd. But it is equally absurd that the chareidim with their outlandish demands are backed by R. Elyashiv and others in the chareidi establishment.

We are dealing with racists who are rationalizing their indecency by invoking frumkeit.

To paraphrase the Reb Yoelish, 'they aren't frum but they are very good at claiming to be frummer.'

[jay]

Dave if you take everything in the Talmud as non-negotiable you will have to believe the sun orbits the earth, spontaneous generation of living creatures still occurs and a lot of other mythology.

[Althelion]

Nobody owns Judaism. Not the haredi; not modern orthodox; not conservative, reform, renewal, reconstructionist; not the independent minyanim; not the Israeli rabbinate; not you and not me.

We've reached that epic point in Jewish history where it necessary for us (Jews) to develop a strict separation between shul and state. It is the only way that we will be able to tolerate each other within our own national boundary.

I know. It's pathetic. But really, when you stop to think about it, it seems that we are just a giant reflection of one big dysfunctional Jewish family.

[Neo-Conservaguy]

The Sephardim that have placed their children at this institution are as much to blame as the institution. Leave it, start a new school that represents their hashqafa, and don't look back. Otherwise, say qaddish for their proud traditions and start dressing in black.

[A. Nuran]

Dave, Talmud is not from God except - arguably - for the Mishnah. It's entirely the opinions of primitive, pre-scientific, just out of the Bronze Age men.

[effie]

Isn't this court ordered desegregation? I doubt the court include those instructions. n

[effie]

"We've reached that epic point in Jewish history where it necessary for us (Jews) to develop a strict separation between shul and state. Posted by: Althelion"

Too late. Certain people will never give up the power and the bribes.

[David]

The Sephardi parents should not allow their daughters to associate with these Charedi and their non-Jewish customs and behaviour (e.g. their Eastern European clothing and eating habits; their unwillingness to work for a living or to teach their children a skill which would allow them to earn money to support themselves and family - as required by Halacha; their Taliban-inspired standards of "modesty" or their disrespect for Israel and its taxpayers and military workers without whom they would not survive).

[Yechiel]

Neo conservegOy:
Hashqafa? Qaddish?
Gey qaqen!

Everyone else hooked on primitve science:
Science community changes its opinion every now and then. "Those primitive bronze age men's" opinion however, stays!
Before you all fade away you will hopefully realize how wrong you were.
Of course living in a material world is the cause of your accepting the opinion of those wanting to negate all that is holy and spiritual.

[David]

Oh - I forgot to mention above, among the list of non-Jewish traits of the Charedim is the Germanic dialect they speak...although most Charedim probably think it is a "Jewish" language because it is diguised with Hebrew letters.

[Dave]

Jay- I don't believe the Sun revolves around the earth, I was only referring to the laws in the Talmud.
A.N.- I am not saying that I believe that the Talmud is from God. I only believe that the Torah is from God, the Nevi'im were inspired by God, but there are very few new laws expounded in Nevi'im.
I was only referring to my idea of keeping the laws actually written in the Talmud as a "maximalist" position and not adding on chumrot or other laws "derived out of/ learned out of" the Talmud.

[Dave]

Neo, excellent point. However, most Sephardim (myself included) don't get as worked up about our minhag as the (Ashkenazi) haredim do. Maybe that's our problem, unfortunately. Also we're only 2.5 million out of 13.5 million Jews, so I think we don't have enough "machers" to shell out for all the yeshivot required and also our rabbonim are either too kindly or in thrall to the likes of Elyashiv and co.

[A. Nuran]

David, fair enough.

[Dave]

David, actually most/ all "Jewish languages" were written in Hebrew script. If you look on www.modia.org, Rabbi Dufour has a section on how to write ("running hand") Judeo-Arabic, which is basically Hebrew letters, and was printed completely in Hebrew letters.

[anon for this]

Perhaps instead of threatening to fine the school/ arrest the parents, the Court should simply stop funding the school and paying teacher salaries. The non-compliant parents are free to find & pay for their own building and teaching staff. And the state should start a new school in the same building, opening enrollment to any parents & students who can comply with the law.

Or the Court could just force the school to accept all the students. Then on the new students' firt day they could call in the National guard to hold back the crowds of adults spitting & shouting "n-----" at the schoolgirls.

[Mr. Apikoros]

So, Yechiel, do you believe the sun revolves around the earth? Do you believe in the spontaneous creation of intelligent life?

What's "holy" and "spiritual" is bullshit to me, and just about everyone else.

[Mr. Apikoros]

That's "what's holy and spiritual to frumbags..."