Sephardi discrimination

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  • #1682543
    mum
    Participant

    For the past 8 months we have been trying to get my son into a yeshiva gedola. We live in Israel and at age 17 this is how the system is. So my son happens to be a masmid who gives shiurim in our local shul organises the bein hazmanim learning program and has written sefarim. However since we are SEPHARDI (even though he has only gone to Ashkenazi yeshuvas and davens in aAshkenazi shuls we have been told that since hes not a ilui he will not be taken. Aftwr having askanim involved we were basically informed by some of tge nicer rosh yeshivas that a hefty donation was necessary since they only take rich sefardim or by the less nicer ones that we had no chance since they had taken enough SEPHARDI boys (3% the quota) now whilst I can understand why some places may not want to have SEPHARDI boys that go by their rabbanim and dont really fit in culturally , how can they reject a boy who has only been brought up in the Ashkenazi system and relates better to the askenazi gedolim and derech of learning. Alot of these yeshivas im talking about actually have plaques up from sephardi donors. However they clearly discriminate. One rosh yeshiva actually said enough witg these sefardim I have had enough with them. Sefardim who donate large amounts should try and see where there money is really going and try and help us regular sephardim.

    #1682606
    Eli Y
    Participant

    Oy–u are dangerously close to Lashon Hara. I would ask how do they know you are Sephardic? Are you making a point to differentiate yourself?

    If you do indeed feel the need to publicize your Sephardi heritage, why not go to a Sephardi school?

    #1682627
    Loshenhora
    Participant

    if the Rambam were to walk
    down any Yeshiva isle we
    would kiss the floor he walked
    on hiw dare we ashkanazi be
    racists

    #1682630
    Loshenhora
    Participant

    if the Ramban was to walk
    down the isle of any Yeshiva
    we ashkanazim would kiss
    the ground he walked on

    #1682635
    Joseph
    Participant

    Many Ashkenazi boys also have their application to join a better Ashkenazi yeshiva declined. It’s easy to assume the worst reasons for the declination but the reasons are generally legitimate. Like they’re already full or that they received more applications from top bochorim than they have slots available.

    #1682642
    Joseph
    Participant

    LH: And what if Rashi were to walk down any Yeshiva isle? Sephardim would kiss the floor he walked on too.

    #1682659
    Avi K
    Participant

    Eli, in the Chareidi sector if a person’s name is Azulai, Vaknin or something else obviously not Ashkenazi he is almost certainly Sephardi or Yemenite. Discrimination against Sephardim in Chareidi schools in well-known and the reason why Rav Ovadia started El haMaayan.

    #1682682
    ChalabiJew
    Participant

    It’s a serious problem and a reality. Im sephardic in a similar situation and my ashkenazi rav recommended that I move my family to America for this very reason. Glad I listened.

    #1682679

    Unfortunately the discrimination is real.
    It’s disgusting.
    I know a friend who was the top girl in my class in high school; in grades, in yiddishkeit, in middos. An amazing girl I was friends with who surrounded herself with other yirei shamayim girls. Every single one of her friends was accepted to the same seminary, she wasn’t even offered an interview based on her sefardi last name.

    Honestly, why would you WANT your child to go somewhere he isn’t wanted?
    Find a school that cares about him, appreciates him, and respects him.

    #1682715
    Joseph
    Participant

    I’m wondering why so many Sefardim go to Ashkenazic yeshivos while so few Ashkenazim go to Sefardic yeshivos.

    Why do they choose as such?

    #1683350
    ChalabiJew
    Participant

    Joseph,
    The ashkenazi yeshiva system has been around longer and is more established and there are more options. 50 years ago, there were almost no sephardic yeshiva bochurim at all. Things are definitely changing, yes. The sephardic mosdos are catching up quickly and I heard from both Rav Yitzchak Yosef and Rav Kahaneman from ponevezh that there are currently more sephardic yeshiva bochurim in yeshivos ketanos in Eretz yisrael than there are ashkenazi yeshiva bochurim. But,it’s still less likely for an ashkenazi bochur to go to a sephardic yeshiva because the ashkenazi yeshivos got a head start.

    #1683364
    Yabia Omer
    Participant

    I don’t blame Ashkenazim. I blame Sephardim. Why? Because no one ever stopped them from creating their own network of prestigious yeshivot. The other issue is BRANDING. Ashkenazim have done a phenomenal job at branding themselves as the “legitimate” way to be frum, and as being the True Torah Learners. Therefore, people look up to that as the ideal, even some Sephardim. Had the Sephardim realized how rich and legitimate their heritage was, perhaps there wouldn’t have this issue .

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