Story 1: A number of months ago Rabbi Binyamin Metzger, principal of the Beis Yaakov Lustig High School in Ramat Gan called a student in to explain that she simply may not return next year, and that she must find another school to continue her studies. In the letter given to the young lady to hand to her parents, the principal explained the decision was made to permanently remove her from the school because she have proven to be a bad influence for others around her. Other parents have complained to the school regarding her negative influence as well.

Apparently, the parents and student were shocked and decided to fight the unilateral decision. They turned to rabbonim in the hope of being reinstated, but they were not successful in their bid.

School officials explain the student is simply “a bad apple who has a negative spiritual influence on those around her”.

The family remains determined and sent a letter to Minister of Education Gideon Saar, explaining she is being falsely accused, insisting the accusations against her are simply baseless. They called on the minister to intervene.

Simultaneously, the parents sent the principal a letter, stating simply they expect him to accept their daughter this year, to permit her to return to her class.

In response, ministry officials begin by explaining the school never reported that the young lady was expelled, hence the minister is unaware that she is without a class or school this year.

Ministry officials add that a probe into the incident resulted in officials learning from school administrators that the student simply did not adhere to the school’s guidelines in more than one case.

It appears efforts are underway between the ministry and the school towards reaching agreement to permit the student to return.

Story 2: In another case on file a student left a hesder yeshiva opting to move to yeshiva gedola, to leave the hesder network. This particular yeshiva gedola is a registered accredited facility, and as such, the young man was not in violation of his responsibility to learn Torah or enlist in the IDF. Only after some 18 months did the picture begin to unfold. The IDF listed the young man as AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) since he was not learning and not in hesder.

It appears that in this case, the hesder yeshiva did not report that the bachur left, preferring to continue collecting state funds allocated for him even though the rosh yeshiva was informed verbally and in writing that the talmid was now in a chareidi yeshiva gedola, a transition that did not find favor in his eyes.

Alternatively, he did not appear registered in the yeshiva gedola since he never left hesder according to state records. When they checked the hesder yeshiva on a number of occasions, it was clear he was not there, leading to his AWOL designation. After months of many difficult situations, including arrest warrants for the bachur and visits by military police to his home, armed with search warrants, after the intervention of many askanim, the situation was rectified, temporarily due to much Siyata Dishmaya. Sadly, he was and remains a top student, one who sits and learns with total devotion, but the events surrounding his decision have thrown elements of his life into turmoil due to the failure of the hesder yeshiva to do the correct thing.

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(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)