It is irrelevant if one agrees or disagrees with the Emanuel parents at present, but what is for certain is that the 43 families, whose daughters have not been attending the Emanuel Beis Yaakov, are unwilling to acquiesce to the nation’s High Court of Justice, supported by Gedolei HaDor Shlita.
For a first time in the history of the State of Israel, parents will be going to prison for insisting on providing their children with a frum education as they define it. On Tuesday, the High Court of Justice handed down its ruling in the matter, stating any parent unwilling to abide by the decision to send their daughters to the school will face a two-week prison sentence. By most accounts, Justices Edmond Levy, Edna Arbel and Chanan Meltzer simply do not understand what they are up against, the willingness of the chareidi community to go to prison, mesirus nefesh for chinuch and their need to adhere to the instructions of their leaders, in this case, the Slonimer Rebbe Shlita, who will be there, marching with the parents to the prison gates.
According to a HaMevaser report, 86 parents will march on Thursday, heading to prison for two weeks as they cling to their values, undeterred by the secular court which in this case seeks to undermine the rulings of Rabbonim Shlita. The parents are also incurring heavy fines for their contemptuous behavior, as Justice Levy announced on Tuesday that the nation’s highest court’s decision must be adhered to, and the rulings are not subject to the approval of anyone or halachic authority.
For the parents and the rabbonim, this has long stopped being a case pertaining to a Shomron Beis Yaakov school, but a precedent-setting matter challenging chareidi chinuch and lifestyles nationwide. Simultaneously, the court is also in the midst of announcing a decision regarding another case, one in which petitioners seek the court’s intervention, to compel chareidi schools to include ‘core subjects’ such as mathematics, English and science in the curriculum, once again, state involvement, seeking to dictate to the rabbonim how to educate the children.
There are a few unanswered questions, perhaps because the court did not expect the parents to remain firm in the face of prison and fines, but it appears no one knows which prison the 43 sets of parents will be housed, and under what conditions and accommodations. What about the hundreds of children left at home? Who will care for them?
Chareidi media reports quoting Posek HaDor Maran R’ Elyashiv Shlita state Maran is calling on the tzibur to come out en masse to escort the parents to prison, seeking a major showing of solidarity and strength. Thousands are expected to gather in support of the parents and to send a clear message to the High Court, in Yerushalayim and in Bnei Brak.
Attorney HaRav Mordechai Green explains the fact that the court sent the parents to prison attests to the fact the justices simply don’t get it, they are clueless as to the dispute in Emanuel, which is not at all a racial issue, but one surrounding different lifestyles and levels of yiddishkheit. Green states that jail term is a sign of the court’s frustration and inability to find an amicable solution, as if the justices didn’t hear the in-depth explanations presented by attorneys and parents alike.
The hearing on Tuesday sent a clear message to the court, perhaps an unwanted message, that their authority does not reign supreme, but halacha and the Rabbonim Shlita have the final word, an offensive fact of life for the court.
Despite the media coverage and widespread support, the parents are under enormous stress, the pressure of the fines levied by the court, NIS 200 daily, and facing jail tomorrow, Thursday, for two weeks, away from their families and under unknown conditions regarding kashrus and other basics, not to mention modesty standards, but they are Baruch Hashem remaining steadfast and determined, unwavering in their commitment to following the dictates of the Slonimer Rebbe and others who understand this is not just about Beis Yaakov Emanuel, but a challenge to chareidi chinuch nationwide and the Chinuch Atzmai system built over the decades to ensure the future of chareidi yiddishkheit for the next generations.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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34 Responses
In the previous article you wrote that only the father of each family will be imprisoned.
this is not a matter of “frumkeit” this is “krumkeit” –
Imagine in New York Chaim Berlin would say they dont want to accept FRUM Syrian boys…
or Ateret Torah saying they dont want to accept Ashkenaz FRUM boys…
it is racism and is disgusting and the courts should force them to be together…..and those that insist on raising their kids racists should go to jail….
The despicable self-hating self-elected secular high court should be sent off on the next ship to Gaza (Aza) to help their brethren there.
What nerve do they have to mix in to strictly chareidi matters?????? Chutzpah she’ein kemoso!!!!!
DOWN WITH THE BEGATZ, SHMEGATZ!!!!!
The self-elected high court plans to do to the chareidi Emanuel girls what they did to the Yemenite children – lead them astray from their holy tradition they kept for over 2000 years.
No way can we allow that. The spiritual Holocaust against thousands of naive Yemenite families was bad enough, horrendous! We cannot allow a repeat, chas vechalilah!
We must fight it with all our means and strength. No way will the self-elected self-hating secular judges force us to do anything against the Torah.
We have our Gedolei Yisrael who are our TRUE LEADERS.
correction: 400 shkl/
anyone who has been following the history of zionism, their state & esp. their courts, is NOT shocked by the courts decision. it was always feared this would happen.
this is a watershed event, in the history of klall yisroel!
i only wonder what great zchus do the slonimers have, that H’ chose them to be His & our shlichim in this Great KIDDUSH H’.
Very simple solution. Put aside your racist prejudices and obey the lawful order of the court. It is not as if the Bais Yaakov was teaching anti-torah values.
Of the 43 families going to jail, more than half are Sfardim! So much for the supposed “racism”.
so if this was america we would try to flood the right politicians e-mail boxes and faxes, who should we be mailing here?
Minister of Education, Culture and Sports
(Notice they put education culture and sport together)
02-5602330/856/584
03-6935523/4/5 02-5602246
03-6951769
[email protected]
or
Director General 02-5602242/95/72 02-5602336
This seems horrific.
I have seen however that R Eliyashiv onlycame out in support of the Slonimer Rebbe, and not against the other side because he didn’t want to go against R Yaakov Yosef (R Ovadya’s son) L’hedya.
Can someone explain, does this mean that R Yaakov Yosev believes in what is happening, that maybe there is another side to this.
I am not taking away anything from what the Litvishe and Chassidish Gedolim are saying and we should follow what they say if that is what we are.
But could it be that the Sefardim have their own Gedolim who disagree.
It is interesting that none of them have joined forces with the Litvishe/Chassidish Gedolim assuming the story was so pashut
If you want to accept the government’s money, you end up having to do what the government wants. While stating the question as one of “Sefardi vs Ashkenazi” is ridiculous (the school in question would accept a Sefardit who accepted all its humrahs, and would exclude an Ashkenazit who didn’t), the real issue is who makes policy for Torah institutions. If one wants them run as Torah institutions, rather than as zionist insitutions, one can’t ask the zionists to pay for them.
why are we always complicating matters…
Gedolim should state their oppinions directly to the tzibur so that we know what to accept and what not to accept, what is torah and what is racism.
Also
If the chinuch atzmai takes funds from the “zionists” they shouldnt be surprised that the latter demands things like core subjects…
CHAIMAHARON
Is it true that almost half the parent are sefardim? where did you see that?
The true blame is on whomever decided to take this dispute to arkaos.
To: #2 and others…
This is NOT an Ashkenaz anti-Sefard issue. This is about different levels and styles of frumkeit.
It’s not that a “Chaim Berlin” would not let in an “Ateret Torah” (i.e. equally frum Sefardi) student, it’s that an “Ateret Torah” wouldn’t let in a “Magen David” (type) student because of the difference in frumkeit level.
In the Emanuel case the government is trying to force “Magen David” type students to go to the same school together with “Chaim Berlin” students, and the Chaim Berlin parents wont have it! Different frumkeit level, AND different minhagim. That is an entirely reasonable thing to oppose.
I’ve been constantly confused by this situation, can anyone summarize what is going on without editorializing?
Such discrimination violates both halacha and secular laws.
If you fear the sefardi girls are less frum – then admit them, be mekarev them and have a mitzva
Dear Mr KRUMKEIT(Ramat Shilo)
“If someone belongs in jail – its YOU” maybe then you will get to understand the difference between FRUM & KRUM!!!
Stop Highlighting and Bolding the word frum in your statement as this is NOT the case the issue here is forcing FRUM parents to send their Girls to school together with girls from NON FRUM families (not even shomer shabbos R”L)
Maybe go do some more homework on last weeks parsha and find out what happened to those who argued with Moshe Rabeinu, it was only after they went down to Sheoil Tachtis alive they realized the TRUTH and are Shouting ” Moshe Emes Vetoroso Emes!!!!
The business of thinking that science, mathematics and English are improper for Chareidim simply makes no sense. Technology is the use of the kochos in the world to perform necessary tasks and often to earn a living.
The use of fire in the times of Chazal, or the science of farming with animals is no different than the use of electricity today or the science of farming with tractors.
What if somebody at the time of Chazal had said I don’t want to learn about cutting wheat and mixing with water. That is bitul Torah and narishkeit. But yet, we find that one needs this knowledge for the 39 melachos and for matza on Pesach.
Since when is the Torah anti-living? Today’s technology is just as important as the technology of yesteryear. And math is found in gemara all over. As far as languages, it says they never appointed anyone to the Sanhedrin unless he knew 70 languages. Yosef Hatzadik knew 70 languages.
This business of thinking the Torah requires one to shelter himself from all worldly knowledge is foolish and even anti-Torah, as it makes it appear that frum people are obligated to be primitive and backwards. How are we supposed to be mekarev educated professionals if they find out that the Torah “forbids” getting a basic elementary and high school education. They will say, if Judaism is so primitive, we want no part of this nonsense religion.
This is not what the Torah wants. This is the personal view of one extreme sect. The Abarbenel, The Rambam and many others would have laughed at this foolishness.
BS”D
Wait a minute! Is this school a Chinuch Atzmai school or is the issue of fear of interference with CA a separate issue.
While I understand very restrictive schools for the children of communities that choose a path of isolation, isn’t the whole point of the Chinuch Atzmai network kiruv? And kiruv means bringing in children from diverse backgrounds who have a desire to grow.
If it is, and if this school is under the Chinuch Atzmai banner then what is happening here is a hijack of CA by those whose principles, correct or otherwise, are not in line with the purpose of Chinuch Atzmai.
They should indeed be allowed to set up a private, separate school of their own but NOT under the CA banner.
Nevertheless, this is not ethnic discrimination, and the one who submitted this case to the court is a rabble rouser who may fall under those about whom we say “al t’hi tikva”.
please explain to me why my brother had to change his sephardic last name in order to get his daughter into a school?
surely this whole march thing is a show and a bit silly from both sides. when people go to prison they are usually arrested, charged, tried and sentenced by a criminal, not a constitutional, court. then they go to prison in a prison van in seperate facilities. i’m not sure what is going on here.
I’m not sure if I understand. The way I see it there are two sides to the issue. On the one side is the fact that Chareidi Beis Yaakov’s should have the right to set their own standards. On the other hand, since they are being supported by the state, they have to live up to their standards. It would seemingly be geneivah not to (if I paid someone money to do x, and they did y, that would be stealing, no?). Additionally what the state is asking them to do is not violating halachah, but asking them to go to school with other chareidim (Sefardim) who don’t necessarily hold of the same chumros that they do (even though they do follow halachah). How are chumros (not halachah) a reason to violate geneivah against the state, and “ve’ahavtha lerei’acha kamocha” against the Sephardi girls? Additonally, isn’t it horrible chinuch to say that a chumra is a good reason to discriminate and look down on other people?
#16 which halacha?
kiruv is not done by children..kiruv is done by grown ups who are strong in thier emunah and yedias hatorah and ‘veda ma shetoshiv’
#17 so you are ‘moshe’ and what you think is ’emes’ and rav eliyasev, rav steinman etc they belong where korah ended?
dear mr shimen says #25
“please read #17 again you have it all mixed up”
No I declare to ALL, that I agree to all the Rabbonim and Gedolim, and the one says that says this is Krumkiet and NOT Frumkiet (and these parents belong in jail)is KORACH! All the rest that think alike belong were KORACH (and his followers) ENDED UP
We have ONE Torah and we need to apply ourselves to it and to our Gedolim! and “THEY,& ONLY THEY” will make decisions like were and what is acceptable and how to run our Education and School system
If you feel the Begatz understands better of how to Educate your children then send your kids to a school under their leadership!
BS”D
Yes, kiruv is done by grown ups, and that is why the Chinuch Atzmai teachers and rabbonim operate kiruv schools.
At least that is how the schools are usually portrayed both in appeals to overseas donors and (lehavdil) in the secular press when they are attacked as if they were missionary schools R”L.
The problem seems to be a “Yerushalmi Chassidish” school mistakenly running under Chinuch Atzmai auspices.
Nothing wrong with Yerushalmi Chassidish schools, but the three Torah state funded networks (Chinuch Atzmai, Shas and Chabad “Reshet”) are funded by the medine as they also perform social services by taking in students from certain backgrounds and providing them with a longer school day in a violence and drug free atmosphere, which enables their often single parent to work a full day out of the home and therefore avoid poverty.
Much as I understand and support the need for a school like this one in Emanuel, it does not seem to conform to Chinuch Atzmai goals. As Emanuel is an economically depressed area, some sort of compromise has to be made as without some sort of funding the school would collapse. (In this economy it is highly unlikely that enough contributions could be raised from outside sources to keep it going).
Nevertheless, it is not a “racist” institution. It is an insular school that is meant for those who come from homes that are insular in outlook and standards.
The “racist” here is the rabble rouser who is stirring up ethnic strife.
#18 a ‘maskil’magid came to slonim and among other kefirah he preached that one sould learn all these things you propose and of course the maskil, as they all do, cited the rambam etc..so the rebbe sent one of the talmidei chacohamim to counter .The tamud chachem,forgot his name, told the audience a parable. A magid came to a hick town of simpletons and said ‘the gemosra states who is rich ine has a lavatory near his table(mes. shabbos). So every one went ahead and installed one. Then they compained to him ” ‘ugh’ !!the house smells except for 2 people who had no problem. So, upon fuhrther investigation, it came down to this most people were paupers and lived in 2 rooms so a lavatory smelled up the house. The 2 others who were rich and had huge house so it did not affect them. So it is here, concluded the talmud chacham, the rambam and the few others who were boki bechol hatorah, aungezapt mit kecushe and yiras shomayim (huge house)the chocmas chitzonis (toilet) did not affect them, but you simpletons if you bring in this chomas chitzonus (toilet) into your house it will smell you up ….’hyechate ish begecholim vraglov lo sisbenu’? and this is what the ‘einay hueidah’ tzadikay hador chacmei hatalmud included tanoi vamoruim) see sanheddrin perek chelek. so in epilogue your teina is nothing new….
#26 sorry , excuse, your right. some how it wasnt so cear .just had to read it few times.me thick skull
“We have ONE Torah and we need to apply ourselves to it and to our Gedolim! and “THEY,& ONLY THEY” will make decisions like were and what is acceptable and how to run our Education and School system”
This would make sense if they funded their own education and school systems. To expect the government to do what you want while they foot the bill is simply crazy and ignorant.
Shimen, (The old Jent???), are you saying that math is like a lavatory that will corrupt one’s soul? Please explain how. You are conversing now in English (or a variant of it), did that corrupt your soul? Learning science, the Chochmas Haborei will corrupt your soul? Doesn’t gemara say Kol hayodea lachshov btekufos umazalos veino choshev al zeh neemar Es poel Hashem lo yabit, ves maaseh Hashem lo raah.
Furthermore, in Mishlei (I believe) it says Kol yemei oni raim. In Gemara it says Oni choshuv kmeis, and Chayav adam lelamed es bno umnus. Far be it from anyone to deprive another yid of parnasa by telling him not to get the training and education he needs. It is dinei nefashos! Will you take achrayus to support families that are starving now because the fathers never were allowed to learn the necessary subjects? If you think it doesn’t happen, please explain the steady stream of meshulachim coming from EY to so many shuls in the USA.
I would not want to be in the shoes of the ones who made up these psakim on yom hadin and hurt so many wonderful families. The Mishnah Berurah and Shulchan Oruch say one is allowed to use a telescope on Shabbos, mah li lilmod min haastrolobe (telescope) mah li min hasefer. So even on Shabbos one is allowed to learn science. So these psakim are nothing but personal chumros of people who are destroying families in the process of inventing their new brands of yiddishkeit. They are not following Shulchan Oruch. If you want to make a personal chumrah for yourself, fine. But when you convince unsuspecting tiereh yiddishe mishpachos that they are required to listen to your chumrah by telling them it is halacha, and in the process, sign them up for poverty their whole lives, you
are perverting everything the Torah stands for, which is Darchei Noam, and that means having enough money to buy food.
#31 we dont pasken from psukim of tnach…my statement still standss it is not just math you want us to learn…your objective is ‘kechol hagoyim huyinee’ like the maskilim of ages…
#30 fish says
DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT ANY GODOL HADOR OR POSEK OR ROV OR ROSH YESHIVAH WOULD TAKE A NICKLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT IF THEY WILL CONTROL WHAT AND HOW OUR YESHIVOS AND SCHOOLS SHOULD OPERATE ???
OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS NEVER THE CASE AND THE GOVERNMENT GAVE THE RELIGIOUS MOSDOS THE ABILITY TO RUN THEIR YESHIVOS ACCORDING TO THEIR MESORAH AND CHINUCH
ARE YOU WILLING TO SELL YOUR SOUL FOR A FEW DOLLARS????
YIDEN IN ALL DOROS WERE MOSER NEFESH TO KEEP YIDISHKIET PURE AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES BRING
YISGADAL VEYISKADASH SHEMAY RABA!!!!
“ASHRIECHAM SHENITFASTEM AL DIVRIE TORAH ” CHIZKU VIMTZU
WE ARE ALL STANDING STRONG WITH ALL THESE GIBORIE KOACH THAT ARE WILLING TO GO TO JAIL LMAN KVOD HASHEM VETOROSIE”!!
Shimen, I disagree. Our job is not to be like the goyim, but to be teachers of all nations. One can hardly teach when he has never learned to write a straight sentence, and is ignorant of basic facts that every schoolchild knows.
Aside from the fact that one can’t make a living in today’s high-tech world without training.
It bothers me when I see meshulachim with letters saying Rachmanim bnei rachmanim please help Reb Ploni who has no parnasa. Signed, Rabbi X.
My question is, Rabbi X, why did you yourself have no rachmanus on this poor soul 20 years ago when you denied him an opportunity to get a basic education. Now you write letters???