The Union of Seminars in Israel has taken a dramatic step against the Zluznik seminar (high school) in Elad that has reportedly rejected girls wishing to enter ninth grade because their parents work. The real reason behind the new regulation is to keep out Sephardi girls. The union has announced that it is calling for the closure of Zluznik and to permit the second seminar in the city, Ladaas Chachma to operate. While Ladaas Chachma also banned girls from homes with working parents, it is reported it has only followed the lead but is willing to change its decision while Zluznik is not.
With less than two weeks before the opening of the 5776 scholastic year, and with over 100 girls in Elad seeking a slot in ninth grade, the union has announced its decision, to shut down the school that discriminates against residents of the city, Kikar Shabbos News reports. The officials in the union contacted the head of Ladaas Chachma, Rabbi Yisrael Ehrentreu, explaining the organization backs running only one seminar in Elad for officials feel Zluznik has stained the character of education in the city with its regulations.
The letter to Rav Ehrentreu states the union was a major force in the establishment of the school, acting on the instructions of Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita, adding during the first years of the school, it will accept most of the applicants of Beis Yaakov graduates form the two schools in the city.
The letter continues by explaining the establishment of a second school in the city, Zluznik, without coordinating with the union compromises the educational framework in the city. The letter then speaks about the objections that were heard when Zluznik was established.
It is added that following the establishment of Zluznik, acting in line with instructions from Rav Shteinman, the union ceased all activities in Elad. However, the union is now willing to resume its activities in Elad if and when Zluznik is shut down in addition to understanding the establishment of any new seminar in the city can only be done with the approval and cooperation of the union.
Speaking with Kol Chai Radio on Tuesday morning 3 Elul, Shas party leader Economy Minister Aryeh Deri said “The days of discrimination are over. The days of elitism are over, they end now. Maran HaGaon HaRav Sholom Elyashiv ZT”L informed then Education Minister Limor Livnat to use her authority to end the discrimination”. He added that any school that does not accept students, the principal will be summoned to a hearing at the Education Ministry and the school’s operating license will be revoked.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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15 Responses
Closing down a school for being “too frum” is a dangerous precedent. If a school’s rabbanim, students (or rather, their parents), and most importantly, their donors – favor one standard of Yiddishkeit – it is not for someone else, especially if they are in any way connected to the government, to object. Cutting off public funding is a totally different issue. Remember that the overwhelming majority of Israelis feel that all hareidi yeshivos are “too frum” and are a bad influence of Israeli society, and it has been the dream for almost a century of the zionists to close down the hareidi yeshivos.
These anti-Jewish fools have no business meddling into who yeshivas accept. If some yeshivas only accept learning fathers, that’s their right and business.
Will MK Deri keep his word? Or is this just some strong headline?
and what is wrong with working and if it is because they dont want sfardim then im disgusted they are behaving like the nazis in the 30s instead of judenrein its sefardimrein
Zluznik’s lawyers wrote a long and detailed letter to the Education Ministry refuting all the charges against the school. This is far from the way it looks on the surface.
If the father of the girl is a maggid shiur or rosh yeshiva, is the child ineligible to attend this seminary?!?
If the facts are correct, then working parents, including the teaching staff, are ineligible to attend such a school for their “sin” of not becoming charity cases. In addition, the donors’ children are also ineligible.
why work when you can make more money by getting money from government?
I’m sorry – just what standard is this? Perhaps working people want to send their children there because they appreciate the lifestyle of the students. Indeed it is dangerous to dictate to a school – but can someone explain the chochma in only allowing children of ‘non-working’ parents. And just where do those non-working parents get their money from?
To Furhatone who ask “And just where do those non-working parents get their money from?” — The Israelis (and to a certain extent frum Jews elsewhere) define “working” such as to exclude a job that involves doing something as part of the yeshiva world. Thus yeshiva students, rebbes, and staff are by definition “not working” – even though they have full time jobs, for which they are paid by the yeshivos. If the same definition of employment was used for universities, we would say that (in New York), Morningside Heights/Columbia University or (in Israel) Mt. Scopus/Hebrew University, were pockets of unemployment with thousands of unemployed persons associated with and being supported by the university even though they weren’t working.
Whether our community can afford to have so many people working full time in scholarly endeavors is a different question, as is whether it is a wise policy to want to have a school drawing only on kollel families, though in America it isn’t unheard of for a university to run an elementary school for the benefit of faculty children, e.g. the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (where the Obamas sent their daughters) so the children of the faculty and staff of the university won’t have to mix with the “less desirable” children of their non-academic neighbors.
“Closing down a school for being “too frum” is a dangerous precedent.”
IS THIS SCHOOL TOO FRUM? Not working is considered ‘too frum’.
Schools that are under the umbrella of the Ministry & most are, since teachers want a reasonable salary and benefits plus infrastructure, security guards and books must be open to frum students.
Is this article and the comments part of a spoof? Or are children able to register and comment? Certainly people should be permitted to associate with whomever they please and not associate with those with whom they would prefer not to associate. Frankly, a school whose attendance is limited to those living on charity is not one which I would want my child to attend.it is preferable to believe that the school’s policy is based on racism instead of stupidity. That being established, it is preferable that a school based on racism should not be permitted to operate and inculcate impressionable minds with such non-Jewish values. It is astounding that despite the pressures imposed upon us by the non-Jewish world small minded people are able to come up with ways to divide us. I for one would not want my children to be educated nor influenced by Jews with such biased and racist views. Do you agree?
Lawyers are trSined to argue two sides of a coin. Not impressed
But when a school living off government money discriminates against frum Jewish girls their elitest attitudes deserve to be closed.
I would like to know who died and appointed them g-d. I’m sure this isn’t his idea
The problem here is not that the government has to get involved and the chilul hashem these misguided jews cause. It’s the lack of noise by the rabonim here calling for the school to disregard these ways
Edgy: We can only hope that this is a spoof, but unfortunately it is not.
There has long been discrimination against Sfardim in Ashkenazi circles.
My guess is that the school doesn’t want the girls exposed to other minhagim, as if they have trained robots and think it would shake them at their core. How work became anti-Torah makes one wonder what Torah they really follow.
We see this is many aspects of life, that people don’t want kids exposed to someone different, even when they are Frum. Kids are smart enough to understand reality and can deal with it, unless they are extremely sheltered and had a poor education.
This sounds like a school for the children of parasites.
Remember the old saying: I fight poverty—I work for a living.