Jerusalem Deputy Mayor (Bayit Yehudi) Dov Kalmanovich is leading the battle to save a Ramot area school, participating in a rally on Monday 2 Elul during which he said “Jerusalem must be run democratically, not violently as this is not the government of one sector. The city is losing its Zionists and the decision to hand over some of the schools to chareidim will not be permitted to pass. Councilmen will not take part in the committees until such time the problem is solved”.
The dispute surrounds the Harel School in Ramot, and this dispute led to the Monday morning protest expressing opposition to turning the school over in part to chareidim. This dispute has occurred in many areas over recent years as many previously dati leumi or non-religious neighborhoods have become chareidi. Ramot it at the heart of the dispute as its population in recent years has shifted significantly in favor of the chareidim, who are now demanding the city allocate the space to the chareidi sector.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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“The decision to hand over some of the schools to chareidim will not be permitted to pass.” This is a gross distortion. Because it sounds as if secular kids are being thrown out of their school to make room for a chareidi school. This is not at all what is going on. The school building is unused, because the secular school will not be opening. Why? Because there are not enough secular kids registered to go to the school! So, instead of leaving the building empty, there was a decision to turn it into a chareidi school. This has been happening all over Yerushalayim for decades. Talk about sore losers. This will ultimately be the fate of most if not all, of the secular (assimilated) Israelis, who, in the end, will disappear. The same fate that awaits the assimilated masses in the U.S. Only the Torah Jews will endure.
The problem is that Ramot is very slowly going from a non charadi population to a very young charadi population. The former schools for the secular and dati leumi are slowly losing population as the young charadi seem to need more room for their high number of kids.
Unfortunately there are those in power who are very much against charadim. This is the situation in Ramot.
The Zionists and the seculars would prefer that the building either remain empty or be demolished and a community center be built in its place rather than see more opportunity for genuine Jewish education. That is the metzius of living in Eretz Yisroel today. Everything holy is despised and everything that should be despised is venerated. Instead of the law of the Torah the law of the jungle operates in the secular state of israel.
I am disappointed that YWN has not bothered researching and printing both sides to the story. Has any YWN reported even tried speaking to the principal of the Chareidi school?
One grade is learning OUTSIDE in the sun, (and soon rain) as there is no classroom for them.
Another class has moved into the only previously empty room which was the only place available for Phys ed class, or meetings.
Because the whole external play area is filled with caravan classrooms, the children have no play space during recess. Solution – shortening recess time and severely restricting any games that may damage the breaking building or caravans. The girls often just sit at their desks and just talk as they cant move around anywhere anyway.
The broken ceiling, electricity, mold and leakage levels break all city codes, but the city itself refuses to address the problems.
I know this first hand. My daughters learns there.
How about a proper article covering the truth, and maybe do something to influence in a positive way??
“Only the Torah Jews will endure”: Baruch Hashem.
american_yerushalmi: Thank you for your encouraging
comments. It warms!
This is crazy,if charedim have the kids to fill the classrooms why can’t they?Kalmanovich’s remarks make no sense-how is it undemocratic to serve the needs of the population that lives in the area?
I have to agree with most of the comments here. Local schools are meant to serve the population, and schools and kindergardens are constantly being repurposed based on current needs.