Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Bar-Lev, the rav of Emanuel, spoke with the weekly BaKehilla newspaper regarding the ongoing conflict surrounding the city’s Beis Yaakov and alleged discrimination, and the recent Supreme Court ruling levying a NIS 5,000 daily fine on Chinuch Atzmai.
BaKehilla: In recent months, the media has expressed a growing interest in the unprecedented concern and involvement of the system regarding the Beis Yaakov School from a legal perspective. How do we view the events from a Torah perspective? Hasn’t there been a great chilul Hashem?
Rav Bar-Lev: Gedolei yisrael have instructed us exactly how to act. We did nothing on our own. We did not act out of concern for our own dignity, but for “kovod beis Abba” and to result in a Kiddush Hashem and preserve the educational standards of our daughters.
BaKehilla: Do you have a daughter attending the school?
Rav: Yes
BaKehilla: Have you been summoned to appear before a court?
Rav: I am not directly involved in the summonses but I am certain that we will act exactly as instructed by gedolei hador. This is no longer a question that pertains only to Emanuel. This is now a global issue and we are acting as such, for the betterment of klal yisrael.
BaKehilla: Did you expect this to grow to such major proportions?
Rav: When matters get out of hand as they did, there is a major chilul Hashem which is the direct result of distancing ourselves from a beis din and halacha. Anything can happen but the moment I saw they turned to the system, I prepared myself for the worst scenario.
BaKehilla: Will the rav instruct his followers to go to prison if need be?
Rav: We will all follow the instructions of the Slonimer Rebbe Shlita which includes going to jail if need be.
BaKehilla: How do you explain what occurred here? Weren’t there attempts to reach an understanding?
Rav: This entire matter did not have to evolve as it did. Everything was done by agreement. Even prior to implementing the separation, we spoke with HaGaon HaRav Badani Shlita, who explained this must be done. We decided prior to the implementation that any disagreements would be brought before R’ Badani to render a decision. Therefore, all questions, inquiries and complaints should have been directed to the rav. The rav also released a letter prohibiting anyone from speaking with the media or taking the matter to the High Court, explaining that this entire matter must be addressed internally and by a beis din if need be.
I will give an example which shows just how much the leaders of the Sephardi community do not endorse what is going on. Shas wished to bring the matter before the Knesset Education Committee. I turned to Rav Pinchasi (Shas secretary) and showed him the documents, including the agreement that all matters would be adjudicated by R’ Badani. They matter was removed from the committee agenda. Shas did not involve itself in the entire matter, which is the result of the actions of Yoav Lalum.
BaKehilla: We hear that Lalum in funded by those interested in destroying yiddishkeit. Do you feel this statement is true?
Rav: The Emanuel case has gone out of proportion. The matter has been publicized around the world, even in China and Japan. This seems to indicate someone has an interest in the matter – which addresses two things despised by the New Israel Fund, “settlers and chareidim”.
Each one is sufficient to compel them to invest their money. There are many signs pointing in this direction, that the non-profit and others who hate religion are using money and influence to wage the battle”.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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9 Responses
Are these self-proclaimed anti-Semitic secular judges of the so-called “high” court, known as Begatz, the owners of Israel? Their chutzpah is going out of hand. Why in the world should they have more power than you and me? They were not voted for and have no right to tell us what to do and certainly not to the Rabbis. Who do they think they are?
It’s about time the apathetic Israelis get rid of this abomination. Enough is enough! If they want secular judges, they should be voted for. We cannot have some self-hating Jews grab the position on their own. Momentarily, when one of them finally dies or leaves, they themselves replace them with one of their radical Leftists. Are they the owners of Israel?
Time to get rid of these judges who take themselves all the power they want.
If they want the State of Israel to continue founding the school then they need to stop the segregation.
Let them buy land and build a new school after the freeze.
Exactly how did these rabbonim decide that one class of Jew is better than the other and needs to be separated.
READ the article. There was an agreement and there is outsiders who have an agenda. Let them build a school. People don’t read and don’t have the faintis idea of what really is happening especially the begatz
“I was only following orders” has been debunked as a valid defense since 1945.What happened to doing what is right? There can be NO reaseon for segregation by ancestry of Jewish children.
I am surprised that it took a chiloni court to try to teach humanity to a bunch of racists.
They separate because of different values. It was not the length of the skirt but much more than you think you know. FOr instance television, computers, internet, mobile phones with text messages, etc etc. The begatz don’t have a clue to how a frum person lives. People have the right to choose; that is a freedom. Maybe the begatz should order that children from bethlehem should be bused to tel aviv Rosh Letzion school. Why not.
Moose613 how about building a high security prison next to your house. Why not. A term that is much abuse is racist. How about Sudanese and Somalians next to your house; a half way house next to your house too. People should let people choose how they want to live as long as you are not infringing on there rights
‘They were not voted for and have no right to tell us what to do and certainly not to the Rabbi’.
I am really at a lose understanding some of the commentators. This school is run by Chinuch Atzmai (which BTW has hundreds of school thruout eretz yisroel), CA is one of the educational systems of the State of Israel. There are provisions, regulations, rules that are to be followed in order to receive funding, text books, teacher pensions, school repairs + more. I recall when my granddaughters were in the Beis Yakov of HarNof, Israel Independence Day was a government day off and no-school was held in the BY -since this is the LAW.
Discrimination in the work place, government offices, colleges, hospitals and schools is a serious infraction. SINCE SINCE SINCE this issue could not be solved internally (by those in Emanuel, rabbanim, residents, beis din), the only next step was to go to the Secular Courts. Not a great decision yet nevertheless a decision. The fine will continue, and it is hurting CA very much will continue until the problem is solved.
Why did they wait till now to seriously attend to this ‘sorrowful day-to-day’ situation? OK so the values are different, then establish a NEW, PRIVATE SCHOOL and start fund raising for its existence.
I live in Emanuel.
Shulamit Amichai, the mankal of the ministry of Education in 2007, is not religious, nor is attorney Mordechai Bass, who came from the Mevaker HaMedina (the Israeli equivalent of the Better Business Bureau) to investigate the situation here. He spent three days in Emanuel, speaking to a wide variety of people here. He found that there was NOT ONE person in Emanuel who said, “I wanted to come to the Chasidi school and was not accepted.” NOT ONE said, “I know someone who applied to this school and was not accepted.” He thus said, since there was no rejection, how can there be disctimmination? His conclusion was that the new school was based on religious differences and not on ethnic differences.
There were at least seven Ashkenazi families who did not attend the Chasidi school when it first opened. Some were not interested philosophically, others has a wait and see attitude.
The parents of the girls in the Beis Yaakov Chasidi who happen to be Sephardic petitioned to meet with Supreme Court Judge Admon Levi, who handed down the recent decision. He refused to meet with them.
To Stan the Man – the Beis Yaakov Chasidi DID raise private funds and requested that the parents pay extra in order to begin this school.
#6
We are talking about a school here, not a secure facility. BTW I happen to live in a racially mixed neighborhood and we have NO problems. Can you say the same?