Exclusive • Demand: pass Mendelson budget to another institution

Following the Mendelson seminary discrimination, in Jerusalem, member of the Shas Council Asher Misahel is demanding today (Monday) to pass the budget - 10 million shekels - which has been halted under his initiative by the Municipal Finance Committee - in favor of another religious institution.

Recalling, a budget of ten million shekels was supposed to be approved by the Commission for the construction of a building in Sderot Golda Meir, which will be assigned in the future for the Mendelson seminary for girls.

But then a member of the Council contacted the mayor, Nir Barkat, and simultaneously the Chairman of the Finance Committee, David Hadari, and asked them to lower the budget off the agenda, because the seminary discriminated four Sephardic girls and refuses to take them into its ranks. In addition he presented figures showing that the girls match the criteria of the seminary involving their acceptance.

In the past days Mishalei attempted to speak to the seminary director and operate pressures to accept the four girls sitting in their homes since the beginning of the school year. Now, realizing the pressures will not help, he sent a letter to David Hadari and asked to pass the budget to another religious institution, and at the same time deny any future assignment to the seminary

"As director of the seminary has refused without professional or business argument, I ask under our authority and as public representatives, to make the voices of these girls and their families heard, and for dozens of other girls who are before registration to other institutions - that they may hear and fear," writes Nayak, in the letter first published in B'Chadrei Charedim.
In the letter he makes two requests. First, pass the budget for another institution, due to the fact that there is a "real distress of high school education institutions and seminaries were opened in rented buildings."

The second request is based on the opinion of the Attorney municipality, Amnon Merchav, disclosed over the weekend and that there is a legal option to deny future allocations to a seminary which unlawfully discriminates, and so he writes: "remove it (Mendelson seminary. YA) from the waiting list of public institutions.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!