MK (Shas) Yaakov Margi, who chairs the Knesset Education Committee, announced on Monday 25 Teves during a committee session on discrimination against Sephardi girls in high schools, expressing sharp criticism against the head of the Chareidi Education Unit in the Ministry of Education, Itzik Zahavi. He blames him for turning the girls into a problem, bringing in outsiders, non-chareidim to address the issue. From Margi’s perspective, the State of Israel encourages the discrimination against the girls, nothing less.

Failure to implement regional registration is a major reason for continued discrimination he explains, adding it appears that for as long as Yahadut Hatorah opposes the law, it will not happen, as is the case today. he blames the state for it permits schools to decide what percentage of Sephardi girls a school will accept, usually 20-25% and the state only finds out how many have been accepted, not how many have been rejected. Then he explains, the girls who have not been accepted are viewed as “a problem” and the state has not imposed sanctions against schools as it can and should according to the law, resulting in the state encouraging discrimination by failing to enforce the law. He insists that bringing in inspectors from the outside is futile and they must bring in chareidim who know what is really taking place.

Committee member MK (Yesh Atid) Meir Cohen attacked the Education Ministry as well for playing a role in the ongoing discrimination. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor (Shas) Tzvika Cohen, who is in charge of education, called on Zahavi to do something for just threatening a school with sanctions has proven to be insufficient.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)