The government’s public legal service on Monday filed a case with the Jerusalem District Court on behalf of four students seeking to be accepted to talmidei torah in the capital, but were refused, MyNet reports. The petitioner seeks a court order against the Ministry of Education, Jerusalem City Hall and the four talmidei torah for barring students from Israel’s Ethiopian community from registering in the schools.

The petition was filed on behalf of two mothers whose children are part of the chareidi sector of the Ethiopian community in the capital, wishing to enroll them in chareidi talmidei torah in their area but they were refused. The petition explains their applications did not even merit serious review, but they were simply rejected without meeting with the students.

The petition states clearly the children were rejected because they are from the Ethiopian community and such a racist policy is unacceptable, and such a policy is contrary to the laws and regulations of the state, as well as the Ministry of Education and Jerusalem Municipality.

The petitioner seeks a court order compelling the talmidei torah to accept the children as the school year in the chareidi sector begins at the end of August, ahead of the public schools.

City Hall explains that the report is accurate, that a number of talmidim from the Ethiopian community were rejected from the talmidei torah, adding the schools in question are not under the jurisdiction of the city’s Education Department. That said, city chareidi education officials have contacted the parents and the schools, and in some cases, they succeeded in having the child accepted. The city states officials will continue supporting the parents in the matter.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)