Petach Tikvah Mayor Rami Greenberg has become involved in what is taking place in the Beis Yaakov – Rav Hildesheimer Seminary in his city after he gave the order a number of months ago, prohibiting schools from accepting students from outside the city, informing them that those schools which do not adhere to the new regulation will face sanctions.

Last week, the Beis Yaakov in the city was threatened with losing its license to operate. In the letter released to the media, sent to the Ministry of Education, the mayor writes, “We wish to notify you that we are canceling our consent to grant permission to use the municipal building on Saadia Gaon Street for the purpose of the girls’ high school, since the association does not meet the conditions it has committed to”.

The Beis Yaakov High School is a veteran in the city and is known throughout the country as many students have passed through its doors throughout the years due to hits high-level of studies together with maintaining the values of Beis Yaakov. It is added there is no discrimination at the school, as close to 50% of the student population is from sephardi homes.

It is reported the reason the mayor is acting against the school is that the school refused to accept a number of girls who do not conform with the character of the school, and the Ministry of Education is aware of the students being refused, giving its approval in the cases mentioned, simply stated they are not suited for the school .

The Degel Hatorah newspaper Yated Neeman attacks Mayor Greenberg in its Wednesday edition, reporting the school is in danger of shutting its doors due to the actions of the mayor.

According to the report filed by Yisrael Rosner, there is a fear that dozens of schools around the country, and in Petach Tikvah particularly, facing a dangerous attempt of outside involvement in chareidi education, an attempt led by Petach Tikvah Mayor Greenberg, who recently “crossed a red line” with the cancelation of the seminar’s operating permit due to the school’s refusal to accept a number of girls who simply are unsuited for the school.

Rosner points out one of the students refused lives in Bnei Brak.

Rav Azariya Hildesheimer, the longtime principal of the school, told Yated “As is the case every year, we began registration in Shevat and with Siyata Dishmaya, 180 girls registered, of which 150 are city residents and the remainder from outside the city, from Rosh Ha’ayin, Tel Aviv, Elad, Ganei Tikvah, Ohr Yehuda and Bnei Brak, areas from which we always accept students.

“At some point, in line with Ministry of Education regulation 4b, we had to renew our license, to submit a request to the city for use of the building for the seminar. I turned to the mayor about Adar time and he conditioned the permit on not accepting students from outside the city. I explained to the mayor that we are dealing with fewer than 15% of the total student population, and I further explained to the mayor that the girls who were accepted and I can’t send them elsewhere now. This is how the city rejected me until a month after Pesach.

“A week before the deadline for submitting a request for the license renewal with the Ministry of Education, I once again turned to the mayor and I was asked to commit that from here on in, I would not accept students from outside the city. In addition, I spoke with the mayor about complaints received regarding the school not accepting students, and he conditioned the license on a signed commitment regarding not accepting students from outside the city.

“That is to say, in order to receive the operating permit, I agree to sign on a commitment that the school would accept suitable students from the city, as has been the case throughout the years. Regarding students from outside the city, each case would be addressed individually. This was my commitment towards receiving the city permit by the city legal advisor on behalf of the Ministry of Education”.

The rav explains that since signing, he has been under enormous pressure regarding students from outside the city. The rav adds claims that the fees to the municipality are not being paid regarding students from other cities is simply not factual.

The rav concludes the city’s advisor on education, Eren Hajiji was sent to him to request accepting ten girls, and he explained the decision-making process of the school, its hashkafa and other relevant criteria regarding the acceptance of students. The acceptance committee decided to accept three of the girls, who were on the waiting list but regarding five girls left without a school, the mayor decided to go for broke, unjustifiably in the rav’s eyes, without first trying to mend fences internally towards finding them a suitable school.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)