In light of the recent storm surrounding discrimination against girls trying to enter seminary in Elad, the rabbonim shlita in Modi’in Illit have released a letter announcing the 5776 school year will not open until every girl in the city is placed in one of the seminary high schools in the city.
Gedolei Hador Shlita including Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita have called on principals of seminaries in Elad to accept the girls.
The letter from the rabbonim in Modi’in Illit is directed to the principals and directors of seminaries in the city, informing them that since there are still girls who have not been accepted to ninth grade in the city, certain schools in the city will not open until such time each and every girl is accepted to a school. The directive in Modi’in Illit comes from HaGaon HaRav Meir Kessler Shlita. Also signing alongside the mora d’asra of the city are members of the beis din Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ulman and Rabbi Yisrael Zickerman.
According to a Kikar Shabbos News report there are five seminaries in the city and they were scheduled to open on Wednesday, 11 Elul. However the rabbonim have state the schools will not be permitted to open until each and every girl is placed in a school.
Kol Chai Radio adds there are three girls who have yet to be accepted to schools and as a result, hundreds of seminary students will remain at home as the rabbonim pressure the schools to accept all of the girls. It is added that in this case, all of the girls who have still not been accepted to schools are Ashkenazi, not Sephardi.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Why do you keep on referring to these as seminaries? They are high schools (called Seminar in Hebrew.)
If they were seminaries it wouldn’t be half as bad.
In this case, R’ Shteinman is actually showing progressive leadership in assuring that all girls have an equal opportunity to access a quality education. Once that is achieved, the next focus should be on assuring that all of these schools are fully funded and that they offer at least a minimal secular education so upon graduation, these girls can choose to pursue higher education, a professional career or start a family whatever is their wish.
Ah but will there be a tuition refund issued or is this free money to the schools, in which case what do they care if there isn’t school?