London – Hasidic schools in London that announced last week that children would be banned if driven to school by their mothers wrote a letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan defending their stance on the topic.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The schools apologized for the “unfortunate” choice of words, but stand by their decision, stating the efforts are being taken to stop the fall of religious principles and maintain traditional Hasidic values, reports the London Evening Standard (http://bit.ly/1BEse3Z).
Morgan launched an investigation into whether the guidelines issued among the Belz community breaks equality laws.
As previously reported by Vin News (http://bit.ly/1dHNMHI) leaders from Belz schools sent out a letter last week stating that allowing female drivers is against the modesty rules of the sect and goes against the “norms” of general Hasidic organization, and that the increase of mothers driving their children to school has fostered resentment among other parents at the school.
TTMH Belz Day School chief executive Ahron Klein said the comments were not meant to discriminate children or parents who drive, but that they are proud of what they believe in and won’t apologize for their beliefs.
The leaders went on to say they are not trying to impose their lifestyle on anyone outside of the group and said members who want to drive should talk to their rabbi about it.
Information taken from The London Evening Standard
Mr. Klein has just made things worse by his so called explanation. It won’t fly, period.
They handled it great given the circumstances that have arisen, unfortunalty some things can not be explained to the secular world, this thing needs to fade away… Otherwise this will not be in favor or enhance the image of chasidim at large
This is a case of jeoulousy from others who see their friends female friends driving a car nothing else,its domination of others ,hassidim love to dominate their peers by threatening or scaring them into submission
did check to see whether muslims adhere to the equality laws
This is about the school receiving public funding. Very likely the government cannot put up with this. The school can be privately funded, if they wish , and then adhere to whatever fanaticism they wish.
These people are not practicing yiddishkeit. They are a cult, plain and simple.
What happens to a girl with no father?
For whatever reason these cases can exist. Assuming the mother drives must this girl wait in the rain for mass transit while other girls get rrides from their father? Those that scoff should understand that a simple thing like this sets a path of deprivation to single parent children.
no driving in belz? whats next, banning sushi in KJ? YES!!!! Satmar banned Sushi in KJ this week!! I cant seem to find G-d in any of this.
The rabbis of Belz explain they are forbidding women to drive in order to maintain traditional Hassidic values. They are absolutely correct! It has been historically proven that the wife of the Baal Shem Tov, the wife of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and the wives of countless chassidic rebbes in the 17th and 18th and 19th centuries did NOT drive a car! However, it was recently discovered that the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Nachman and hundreds of Rebbes ALSO did not drive a car!! We are now waiting for the Belzer Rebbe to issue a decree that the men should ALSO NOT DRIVE, to safeguard TRADITIONAL Hassidic values. .
Oy vi this belza have much much more then 613 mitzvas to do hahahahahahaha well find out when mishach comes if that what he wanted from us
Call this “Panic-gate”.
Why can’t we all just shut up and allow everyone to do as they wish??
Were soooo very busy watching everyone else but ourselves.
In all seriousness, Please can someone explain how not driving is tznius? I am having a very hard time understanding how driving has anything to do with tznius.
Or is it just being in public? Or in a position of ‘power’? Or the sense of freedom?
I’d appreciate a true answer to this.
When I see all the Chassidim from NY State, come to Modern-Orthodox, Teaneck NJ, every night for dinner, in droves! eating in all of our meat and dairy restaurants. It’s great for our local economy. Keep it up boys!
Hey, whatever happened to their tradition of only eating their own hashgochos/hechsherim? Ahhh…it’s a whole new world out there…
How much more shtus to we have to endure? A lot of the men shouldn’t be driving either.
I have to admit, that the women driver in the picture scares me a bit, lol
It reminds me of a story I read years ago, that a Bochur turned down a Shiddach because the girl put on her seat belt on their date and that wasn’t Tznius. How did our society get so nuts?
They will come around. When trains were first invented we had gedolim assuring travleing on the “Ban” to the big cities. They are written teshuvas on it. I am not kidding! Although nowdays we have swung back around and chasidim won’t ride the subways. (When I grew up the all rode the subway to 47th st. But now they need hiemisha busses! And the tznuis was the same then as now.) I remember when texting was treif. We were told the thousands of yidden are being mechlal shabbos from texting! Now whats app is treif. Its takes time for yidden to adjust to technology while staying frum and sticking to principals.
This whole issue is not targeted on Belz individually, this is an attack on most ultra chasidic groups which have the same custom! which attacking chasidim is the norm, the same reason the world is always blaming Israel for what ever they or don’t do.
Just one thing i cant understand, all these attackers / commenters are either so-called open-minded people or system drop outs who try to over come the chasidishe narrowness, so why cant you think out of the Box that there are different cultures & different opinions?? did they tell “you” what do do? Are they saying you are doing something wrong? They are only talking to the people who wish to have a belzer chinuch! and the inside people who are upset no one forces them to send to Belz! Ah!! when it comes to the great services Belz provides they know how to take advantage!
Every body should clean up your own garbage and let people live!!
ok I get it
Belzer and other chassidim/cults like in WillyB,Monroe,Skver,fill in the blanks , all want to go back to the 17th century,so everyone will travel with Horses,male ferds of course because of Tznius,and then the Hanhallah and powers that be will be happy.
But why stop there?
do everything like in the 17 th century,especially cutting out all electricity from homes and moving back into little huts ,and not having any plumbing for showers and bathrooms indoors,etc etc etc and of course NO air conditioning in shuls and schools and homes,bungalows ,summer homes etc etc
Having already eliminated radio,computers,TV and “goyish”newspapers and “goyish” literature along with cellphones so why stop/start with just car? eliminate also,every phone device in the house and office,yeshiva etc
I recently saw Chassidshe guests arriving at a Chusana riding on horses and buggys.
But we must ask that they be consistent and do everything like in the 17th century,always.
who gave the Heter that Men are allowed to drive cars?Where does it say?I
I guess Al T’hee Chussid shotah does not apply anymore
so let me understand this – a woman can’t drive – so OK she then can use public transportation mingle with all sorts of people -see the real world and then go back home oblivious – Talk about religious blindness – wouldn’t be better for these women to take the child to school – in the privacy of her car – goes in the car and out of the car – often just letting the children off at the school.
Perhaps they should also wear Burkas –
What is happening to Klall Yisroel.
lets all calm down and sing the famous Yiddish song mine shteitela belz take a deep breath nice and easy. Leave the Belzers alone each group is entitled to their own ways if you don’t agree don’t become a Belzer chosid Im sure you can find in everyones minhagim things that aren’t like you. LIVE AND LET LIVE
To all those arguing let them live. Be open minded and respect their beliefs. True. But what about when someone who is a belzer and can’t conform with this rule gets otsracized and thrown out just because of this? What about when it causes extra hardships on the ladies but they must keep their mouth shut because they are married and must conforrm? If the reba got up and said Ok according to our mesora ladies don’t drive. We must be mechazk that mesora as much as possible. But noone should be thrown out or ostracized and neither should we critcize those that can’t keep up with this rule that would be one thing. But you all know thats not whats done.