Featured Post

Free The Hostages! Bring Them Home!

(this is a featured post and will stay at the top for the foreseeable future.. scroll down for new posts) -------------------------------...

Jul 14, 2011

Rav Elyashiv Calls School Admins Who Reject Sefardim "Thieves"

The issue of discrimination in Haredi schools is in the news again, as it was announced a few days ago that x number of girls have been left without seminarys to attend in the coming school year. Their applications were rejected and, allegedly because they are sefardim, no amount of maneuvering has been successful in getting them placed in the regular schools.

The Ministry of Education has stepped in, various rabbonim have weighed in with their opinions of not letting the MoE have any say in the matter, and various haredi MKs are trying to find solutions, etc - the regular spiel that happens every year when sefardi girls are rejected and left with no school.

Rav Elyashiv, while taking into account that he spoke harshly against allowing the Ministry of Education to meddle in to Haredi rules and schools, had something interesting to say about the discrimination itself.

Kikar is reporting that Rav Elyashiv said that any administrator of a school that takes money from the government for the school and refuses to accept a girl who is sefardic is a thief. Rav Elyashiv said that once he takes money from the government, that is public funding and the sefardim are part of the public. The administrator no longer has the right to reject a girl because she is sefardic.

6 comments:

  1. Yishkon L'vetachJuly 14, 2011 12:13 PM

    Does that mean R' Elyashiv is unconcerned when a school that does not receive public funding refuses to accept sefardim?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was thinking about that, and it sounds like the answer is he is ok with that.

    he has fought against discrimination in schools in the past. it seems like the administrators only listen when it is convenient for them. According to the article, he has even had his askanim cancel funding for certain schools when they refused to adhere.

    I would guess that if someone sets up a private school with his own money and takes no public funds, Rav Elyashiv seems to be of the opinion that such a person can accept whomever he wants. it is his money and he can do what he wants with his school.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Didn't you mean "public funding"?

    On the other hand, "public finding" does somehow seem to describe the situation as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is not only sefardim who are rejected. But also children of Baal Thshuva parents.
    It is a most painful subject.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rehov slonim 11July 15, 2011 7:15 PM

    They can go to all the shas seminars that rabbi OJ built with the money he got from the oslo accords...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...