Agreement has been reached to prevent the Education Ministry closure of the Zichron Gavriel Talmid Torah in Zichron Yaakov.
The minister issued a closure to the school after it received complaints it discriminated against Sephardi talmidim. This was due to the fact that two Sephardi boys were not accepted to the school.
A meeting was held on Wednesday between the head of the Zichron Yaakov Council Yaakov Eli Abutbul, the directors of the talmid torah and the parents of the children who were not accepted to the school. Abutbul told the school’s administrative staff that if the two boys are not accepted in the school immediately, he will fire all chareidi city councilmen immediately. Abutbul received their assurance that the children would be in the school on Thursday, 19 Kislev.
It is now hoped the Education Ministry will accept the agreement. Earlier in the week officials in the ministry signaled it is too late for such an agreement and they plan to push ahead with the closure order.
CORRECTION: It was reported on Wednesday that the talmid torah changed location. It should have read the families of the boys moved, not the school.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Talmud* Torah
I have submitted comments about this type of thing before but they are censored. Yidden in America are clueless about the demarcation between groups in Israel. In America, private schools are private, and can exclude who they wish. In Israel, many Chareidi schools use public funds and then are surprised when they are prevented from excluding Jews who are different than they are. The Ponevitch Yeshiva in Israel actually has 2 groups using the Yeshiva who are completely at odds and fighting each other. The followers of Rav Steinman and the followers of Rav Auerbach are fighting each other to such a degree that one group must sign allegiance letter to the Rav or be kicked out. Every group must conform to its group completely or be ostracized. There is no mixing of Ashkenaz and Sephardi like there is in Ner Yisroel and Bais Yaakov in America- that is unheard of in Israel. This is why I think there is a huge number of American Olim making Aliyah to Israel currently, I think the Almighty wants the American brand of Yiddishkeit to infiltrate into Israeli society, the American way of getting along with others, of accepting others, of mixing with other groups.
The politically-correct-chareidi-party-line response is that there is no discrimination in chareidi institutions in Israel and that any instance mentioned in the media is anti-chareidi propaganda. I think it’s time we put that canard to rest and deal with this important issue.