Israel – The Orthodox Beit Yaakov school in Elad is refusing to accept girls into its first-grade class if they attended the Agudat Yisrael preschool, where most of the children are from Sephardi families.
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The school belongs to the Ashkenazi independent school system that is funded by the Education Ministry but has broad pedagogic freedom.
The parents of one of the girls filed an administrative petition against the school at the Tel Aviv District Court. Until a ruling is handed down, the girl will be staying at home.
“We are sticking our neck out for a large number of families in Elad who cannot get their daughters into Beit Yaakov,” said the girl’s mother.
When the petitioning parents tried to register their daughter, L., for first grade this year, they said they were required to fill out a questionnaire asking for information such as “the name of the synagogue where the father prays” and “parents’ country of origin.”
Last year L. attended an Agudat Yisrael preschool. The petition indicates that Beit Yaakov’s administration decided not to accept any girls from Agudat Yisrael preschools, and that the parents were told their daughter would not be accepted to Beit Yaakov anyway “because her brother attends a Sephardi elementary school.”
“The school administration thinks the Sephardi families are meek and won’t fight back,” said a source. “The school is thumbing its nose at all the Education Ministry’s directives that forbid discrimination. This is an embarrassment to religion.”
“The petition is currently being heard by the court,” responded an Education Ministry spokesman, “and the ministry will act in accordance with a [court] ruling.” Attorney Menahem Yanovsky, who represents the independent school system, was unavailable for comment.
R”L denying a yiddish kint a torah education – great way to prep for the yomim noraim!?!?!?!
Can somebody please explain this to me. Are the Frum now discriminating against the Frum? Is this Ahavas Yisroel? Are there two sides to this story? This kind of thing makes me lose faith in yidden and makes me feel like perhaps being frum is not so great after all.
I hope they pull all funding from the school until they realize that a yid is a yid.
I am a ashkenazi and I learned in a sefardic kolell/shul I was so impressed with how erlich the people were and the chaishek they had to learn and how much stricter they were then the ashkenazim in meny ways –I think this whole thing comes from klein-kepige (closeminded) people its a BIG SHAME
Never Again will I give tzedaka to Chinuch Atzmai! They have turned the ideal of educating every Jewish child into a terrible embarrassment and chillul Hashem. But on the bright side, maybe these kids will be able to go to a different school where they will be accepted and excell in their studies.
This will go a long way toward creating a bunch of ex frummies.
Are these the same people who want Moshiach sooooooo badly? Is anyone here surprised that we’re still in Golus?
this is anoutrage !the rabbonim who gave semicha to the “educators” at The Orthodox Beit Yaakov should revoke their semicha!
embarrasement to judaism . what a “hilul hashem!
Send your kids to chabad
David,
PLEASE do not blame Chinuch Atzmai. I live in Yerushalayim and could not get my daughter into Bais Yaakov first grade because I am American and live in a predominantly American community. (Think: Sanhedria, Ramat Eshkol, Maalot Dafna, Arzai Habirah, etc.) Several families in my neighborhood were with me in the same boat (All wonderful, frum, erliche couples.) The only thing going for us was Chinuch Atzmai fighting tirelessly on our behalf. I only wish I knew the names of the people at Chinuch Atzmai that sat on the phone with my husband and I all summer so that I could be able to give them a well deserved thanks in a public form. If not for them, my duaghter, and MANY other children would be home right now. Baruch Hashem, 3 days before school began this week Chinuch Atzmai, after much finagling with the various principals, were able to place the final ones of us. The horrible discrimination going on makes one want to shed tears that people like this in klal yisroel exist. As a friend in the same boat told me, “I went down to the school to register and the Minahelet laughed in my face and showed me the door.” Disgusting.
Hey! ELAD BAIS YAAKOV!
Try, just try to get one more penny from me or my family!
You are the UNorthodox!!!
Thank you for finally UNcovering the REAL you, you phonies!! You fakers! I wish I could grab back every penny you tricked me into giving!!
Your decision makes people run from Orthodoxy!
You are choteh oomachteh ess harabim!
FEH!
I thought it only happens in Lakewood
To Anonymous 8:53,
What do you mean are the frum discriminating against the frum “now”? This has been going on in Eretz Yisroel for years already. There are quotas in many yeshivos for Sephardim for no good reason.
At least living out of Eretz Yisroel has that good quality-no ridiculous Sinas Chinam. Now I don’t feel so guilty.
Who runs this Bais Yakov? Is it Litvish, Chasidish?
guess the sfahkinazee song hasnt made it to israel yet
until we learn to accept each others as belonging to one nation serving one rebono shel olam moshiach wont come we must straighten out our bein adom lachaveyro not only our beyn adom lamokom see sefer chofetz chaim todays section regarding the shtey luchos
Are you surprised?
Still beleive in achdus, ahavas yisroel and that yiddishe kinder have a right to chinuch???
You’re living in the past… Welcome to the today’s Jewish world.
Anon 11:19, while I echo your thoughts I find it hard to believe that you gave even a red cent to that school system. Its usually the most vocal that do nothing.
Lol to Anonymous 11:23.
I never gave them a dime because I never heard of them before! But I’m far from surprised that this happens, because it happens all the time. Only now it made headlines because someone petitioned the court.
If there are any other organizations that discriminate like this, please post so we should not patronize them with donations.
this is one of the reasons i am no longer frum. too many of these rabbis are 2 faced. preach ahavas yisroel and all that but if they are slightly different from you,you reject them. they should go to afganistan and join thier bretheren in the taliban.
To Anonymous 11:50,
Don’t judge Judaism by the Jews.
As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s very true.
I have had many caes where mainstream yeshivos have rejcted sephardim / bukharians who in 1940’s took in ashkenazim by the dozens – but here in brooklyn and queens no chance – they say the most stupidest excuses…..
I hope real gedolim fix this …..
Or we are double standards and then the entire kelall yisrael lose…….
i’m from the sefardic community on ocean parkway and there are hundreds of ashkenas rabbis that come to collect for their organazations and even so they don’t except sefardim into their yeshivos or don’t give sefardi families money for tzedaka…. it’s a crying shame and what is going on is starting to be known to the public. and it’s sick how they take sefardic money but not sefardic bochruim.
its funny 6000 miles away we in Lakewood listen to the gedolim in EY. overthere they Fiif them un !!!
Sefardic Man, I sympathize with you because I’m also SY and I know exactly what you mean. Our money is good enough for them, but not our bochrim. I give a lot more readily to Ashkenazim in America than in Israel for that very reason. Discrimination isn’t nearly as pronounced here as it is in Eretz Yisroel.
As for Sober, I don’t know what you’re talking about listening to the gedolim here in Lakewood, and in EY they fife them un. When did you hear the gedolim over there speak about this problem??? Many times their own yeshivas have quotas!
hey joseph great point when you said “that in america the discrimination isn’t as nearly pronounced”, the truth since i had some of my kids go to ashkenaz yeshivot for highschool and never was discrimanted against i thought the problem was only in israel, but the truth is it’s happening here in america in lakewood(is this some very religious thing) i hate when i see the most religious people with the no love for one another and the nonreligious with love… before the rabbi’s should put hechsherim on the music they should have ben adam lechavero etc
anonymous
11.50 am
as bad as this story is, the reason u r not frum is simply because you do want to be frum, blaming 2 faced rabbis is just a convenient excuse.
in my life i have also seen 2 faced rabbis, is this a reason to be not frum?
I am one of the “lucky” Sephardic girls who went to Ashkenazic schools (both Litvishe and Lubavitch). The teachers and the other girls were openly cruel to me and the other Sephardic girls.
My own children have attended only Sephardic schools because I would not subject my children to the racist torture I suffered in Ashk. schools.
I wish that parents would think carefully about what they are doing to their children when they put them in a situation where they will certainly suffer from racist abuse.
In my experience, Lubavitch is the WORST, because they spends millions of dollars educating Russian and Hispanic Goyim while their Rabbis treat Sephardic Jews worse than one should treat a field animal, except when they are looking for money, that is.
So pleased that they took this case to the Israeli legal system, they will stop the Educational funding to the Beis Yakov and then the last laugh will be on them.
now why do i find this so funny?
Not all the rumors can believed, as there are individuals and groups with “An Ax to Grind” (mutually and severally)! But if the rumors are confirmed, the Gov’t. should shut their doors and throw away the keys!!! they should be defunded and discredited (officially), which they are already!!!
i have read one too many stories like this. i have decided to not give one more penny to these kinds of institutions (bet yaakovs, assored litvish yeshvot etc.). its time that our syrian community start investing in our own schools to rival those of the heredim. ive had just about enough of this. we have the money and resources, lets do it!
It is nice to talk and preach about how wrong it is until you are in the situation! Chill out everyone maybe it is you guys who should rethink your Rosh Hashona plans!!
1) Don’t judge others until you know the facts!
2) Know what the situation is in Elad!
3) Been in a similar situation!
dont bash the school so badly dont judge them until you are in their place.
There is a Bnos Rochel school from Satmar in Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh with a lot of Sefardi girls.
Well beit shemesh is full of americans of course they dont discriminate theyre the ones being discriminated.
ARE YOU READY TO LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE? i LIVE IN Ofakim. Now ther is here a quota of Sephardim-50 percent, no more no less. Some are left out. This is our cheder and we are doing a chesed by giving the sephardim 50 percent. What do we get in return? A kick in the rear, When we need help on the city council and need votes for degel, all of asuuden its Shas and R Yosef. You want Shas ? WE need help to push throughlegislation, for our mosdos and you vote against us , OK, take Shas and R Yosef and start your own mosdos . Whats the matter-Maayan isnt high enough for your standards? Go to R avrigil -hell make you a yeshiva and will make sure you tow the line or youre out.
As disgusting as this story sounds, the discrimination goes both ways.
I remember I was brought up in a Bai Yaakov school where there were a lot of Sephardic girls. They mocked the Chassidishe girls plenty!
And if you think people of Sephardic background are so excited when you red them an ashkenazik or chassidic shidduch, YOUR MAKING ONE BIG MISTAKE!
They are as proud and arrogant as anyone else!!!
There is a not so well known story about a meshulach from Eretz Yisrael who came to visit R’ Aharon Schechter, Rosh Yeshiva of Chaim Berlin. The Rosh Yeshiva’s son-in-law, who is Moroccan, was sitting outside in the anteroom witing for his father-in-law. When the meshulach went inside to speak with the Rosh Yeshiva he left his briefcase outside in the anteroom. Upon realizing this the meshulach asked the Rosh Yeshiva if his briefcase was “safe” out there. The ddetails of the rest of the story are unclear but somehow the meshulach became aware that the fellow in the anteroom, while sephardic, was the Rosh Yeshiva’s son-in-law and boy did he end up with egg on his face!!