Israel – State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss announced today that he would set up a special panel to investigate charges of discrimination in the Hareidi school system.
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He said that reports from officials, including Knesset Education Committee head MK Zvulun Orlev (Bayit Yehudi) indicated that there was ongoing against children from Sephardic backgrounds in Hareidi schools run by Ashkenazic organizations.
The decision was announced after a stormy session of the committee Tuesday, where Mks from the United Torah Judaism party railed against the investigation
Speaking after the meeting, MK Orlev said that an investigation was in order “so that we can root out these problems which contradict the right of students to an education.”
They don’t realize that there is no hope in what they are trying to accomplish. The Sephardim will never be accepted by Chareidi Ashkenazim and no law will change anything; the only answer is Sephardic Schools.
What a bluff,how man sephardi yeshivas would let in as many ashkenazim,as askenazi yeshivas do.Despite the sephardi’s diffrent yiddishkeit standards.
The whole thing is strange because chareidim have their own unique way of living and traditions than even other Ashkenazi Jews. Think it has less to do with Ash./Seph., than with lifestyles. Yeshivish Jews have little in common with many traditions of Chasidim and less so with modern orthodox. So, of course, Sephardim who come from a totally different culture than European will have their traditions. You cannot force this type of a situation, especially when it comes to religious traditions. Eventually, we will be one people, Jews united, and the best way is for the Ashkenazim and Sephardim to marry each other and in a generation or two – we’ll be as one once again as before our long drawn-out golus.
A jew is a Jew. Where they are from means nothing.
I am a Sefardi, raised in Ashkenazi Yeshivos.
My Rosh Yeshiva ztz”l was a Tzaddik, the likes of which exist no more. Not only was I NEVER discriminated against, I also NEVER doubted the love my dear Rosh Yeshiva felt towards me.
Today, the future of our precious children is in the hands of Reshaim, Son’ei Yisroel, who will not escape the most severe Dinah shel Gehinom! These so-called mechanchim are the ones destroying our children – NOT Lipa Schmelzer!
The next time you see one of these ‘rebellious’ teens in the street, please ask them how their experience in Yeshiva / Bais Yaakov was. I’m no Navi, but I’m pretty they won’t be filled with praise for their Roshei Yeshiva / Menahalim.
Sure, sure, some people will say that we always blame the school, and that we should be looking at the homes instead etc. To them I say, “ASK THESE CHILDREN THEMSELVES!!!” THEY will tell you why they’re disgusted with Yiddishkeit!
There is no solution to this problem. Unfortunately, these are the symptoms of Yeridas HaDoros. There are no Manhigim anymore – Gedolim like the Chazon Ish, who refused to pasken these types of Sha’ailos. He felt it was Dinei Nefashos, which requires a BEIS DIN SHEL 23!!!
I think this is a good idea that was much too long in coming. My problem with it is WHO will be on the panel looking into it? Anybody who is good enough and not biased will be too close for comfort to judge such a major issue!
BTW we must keep in mind that chassidim have always built protective walls around themselves and their kehilos and it HAS helped them to fight off assimilation. So the idea of having exclusive schools is not so much an expression of bigotry as it is a fear for ‘outsiders’. It does not come from Sinas Yisroel. But even so we must look out for what is best for all of klal yisroel.
A good idea in the right direction, though i don’t think much will come out of it. Until the “leaders” of the Israeli Ashkenaz Charedim say something, nothing will happen. Most have been suspiciously too quiet all along.
These are publicly funded schools. If they want to refuse to serve the public in need of schooling they should be privately funded like the Eidah’s schools.
Someone once said when משיח comes it shouldn’t be sooo hard to put all the American Jews in homes in israel since any of the “Israelis” who discriminated one another may NOT be זוכה
I think the Gedolim have to act respectivaly in order For the rest of כלל ישראל
After 120 years, will Hashem ask each Ashkenazi if he was a good Ashkenazi and each Sephardi if he was a good Sephardi?
i am 53 years old and i grew up in a chareidi school of ashkenazi and sephardi children and teach today children of different backgrounds.it works very well to the benefit of all. we are all yidden -.one torah , one aibershtair. it is called chabad- lubavitch. it appals me to think that 50 years after yidden are together there are still some who feel superior based on where they come from, what makes one superior to the other?get a grip! it shocks me to hear that this is an issue at all!
If this is true i hope theese yeshivos dont come to my office for a donation ,they WILL beg like a sefardi trying to get into there yeshiva, this will teach them a lesson. dont call me rov ,rabbi,and then be a self hating jew.i love all jews i dont distinguish between chassidim ashkenazim or sefardim ,yemenites russians hashem created us.(and then we wonder why mashiach didnt come yet)
there is also discrimination at Bais Yaakov in Baltimore against many Sephardi children being enrolled in their school
i am pleased that this issue is at least being discussed and i sincerely hope it is meaningfully addressed on a large scale. Perhaps the cutting of funding is a good solution, as money talks.
Personally, we are a young American family, i am ashkenazi and my husband is Sfardi (we are happily married, thank you) and this year we had a very difficult and disillusioning experience trying to get out son into a charedi cheder in Jerusalem. We were appalled at the blatant discrimination we recieved because we have a sfardic last name. Doors closed in our faces, and we didnt even get the decency of a “callback”, when we walked into the school ourselves, the menahel wouldnt look at us in the face and lied to us, although he told our references, that he couldnt take us because of our last name being sefardic on the list. He said parents would pull their kids out of school if they saw sefardic names on the class list. THis is extremely sad that klal yisrael has come to this, and the problem lies in many parts of society, in the superiority feelings of the ashkenazim, in the parent bodies, in the principals. It pains me deeply that frum jews can treat other frum jews this way.
What is it exactly that is so superior about Ashkenazim that they can’t include Sfardim into society? Someone please help me here.