Speaking on Wednesday morning to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) host Razi Barkai, former Shas leader Aryeh Deri commented on the High Court of Justice ruling in the Emanuel Beis Yaakov case. Deri’s interview followed an interview with Barkai and opposition leader Tzipi Livni.

I agree there is a court in Jerusalem, but there is also a Knesset, government and prime minister. Not every decision or solution can come from the High Court. As a result of the fear of inquiries and criticism, public officials are unwilling to make decision, preferring to wait for the court to force their hand.

BARKAI: Do you think Emanuel Beis Yaakov discriminated against Sephardi girls?

DERI: I can tell you for a fact that elementary Beis Yaakov schools around the country are community schools in every sense of the word. The schools operated by Chinuch Atzmai serve the entire community, not just Ashkenazi girls. Girls from chareidi homes, Ashkenazim and Sephardim are all included.

In Emanuel it is a very small community, including Slonim Chassidim who have many chumras that are not adhered to by the Sephardi girls. I receive my information from families in the community, who explain the girls are indeed from chareidi homes, but they do not live by the same chumras and are unwilling to accept them, making them unsuitable for the school.

I will explain the error made by the Slonimer Chassidim. For those parents wishing to have a separate chassidic track, they must realize they cannot be a state-funded Chinuch Atzmai school and accept government funds while restricting entry, not permitting Sephardi girls to attend.

If you want a separate Chassidic track, then establish a Ministry of Education approved school but without accepting funds. On the other hand, one must remember the families in Emanuel are from the low income community, a community that truly lacks the funds to establish their own school and fund it but nevertheless, they cling to their values and are unwilling to compromise chinuch as they view it. They follow their Admor but lack a budget.

BARKAI: According to your understanding, the court is correct, there is discrimination, right or wrong, but that is the fact.

DERI: It is easy to say ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but this will not solve any problem. A solution cannot be imposed on the parents against their rabbonim. A true solution is for the Sephardim to establish schools, which don’t exist today.

Deri explained that he too is a product an Ashkenazi chareidi education, since in his day, there was no Sephardi alternative. During his tenure as the head of Shas, he explained that schools were established, pointing out his wife heads a girl’s school attended by over 700 girls. In that school he explains, there are a number of tracks, some including Ashkenazi girls.

Today there are Sephardi yeshivos gedolos, and my five older children took two buses daily to attend the Sephardi schools that we established. We set an example. I have a surprise for you, that in some of the schools, the Ashkenazi population comprises 40% of the classes, sitting together side-by-side. The Emanuel case has pulled the nation into an unwanted dispute. Now we are going to send Gedolei HaDor to prison, to organize a million man march – to what end will we take this case?

Justice Edmond Levy yesterday turned to the parties, truly speaking from the heart, seeking to find a solution. He explained that next year we cannot impose our will upon you. Those understanding the legal technicalities understand but for now, the next two weeks, permit the girls to learn together and finish the year. However, the compromise was not accepted and the girls not attending the school will not come back for two weeks, learning elsewhere, and eventually this will lead to the destruction of Emanuel as a community.

If I had the authority, as Minister of Education or Justice Minister Ne’eman, I would declare an end to this school year. We must adhere to the High Court so I call on the heads of Emanuel to declare school over and open a mixed camp for all the girls, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, adhering to the court and avoiding jail. Camp is different than school. In a camp environment it is acceptable. If the court wants them together, they will be together, not in school but in camp.

The decision makers, government officials, are simply not in the loop. The situation has gotten out of hand. I call on the minister of education and minister of justice would intervene. During this month, we must prevent the civil war, the in-fighting. What is about to take place must be halted.

The court on Tuesday did everything to seek a compromise, for two weeks. The court obviously looked for a way out. It’s not too late. There is still today to accept the two-week solution and avoid jail and fueling the dispute. 

Like my predecessor, Tzipi Livni, I believe we must listen to the court and I too could talk to you about my ideology, but I am more interested in finding a genuine solution. We mustn’t permit this fighting and we must find a way to resolve it.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)