Discrimination continues • 160 girls in Jerusalem without a seminary

Seminary discrimination problem continues to be a bleeding wound in the Haredi educational system. Yet despite promises to address the issue, even Shas representatives gave up any help from their leaders, and had no choice but to turn directly to the Minister of Education Rabbi Shai Piron.

One of those to raise the discrimination flag is representative of Shas in the Jerusalem Municipality Asher Mishaeli, after all hope was lost, sent a letter to the Minister of Education, Rabbi Shai Piron, "with a desperate and emotional plea" as he puts it.

He said that to the system has not yet been placed for next year, over one hundred and sixty elementary school girls in Jerusalem alone.

In his letter, Mishaeli writes that even if not officially quoted, there are clear quotas in Orthodox seminaries for Sephardic students. "In many cases," he writes, "Parents hear from the class educator or administrator at the elementary school that they have a problem as the place for Sephardic girls is full. Thus two students who appeal for admission to a seminary, a weak pupil of Ashkenazi decent is accepted to the school whilst the Sephardic student is turned away".

Mishaeli complains that the procedures prescribed by the Ministry of Education are not enabled. Even the procedure that sisters come first, is selectively activated and discriminatory.

According to the procedure one should register only during registration times, and to reply and reasoned in writing not later than 4th Nissan before the start of the school year. The actual registration process is done much earlier. Registration is done through the "deals" made between elementary school staff, and administrators responsible for the seminary and registration, Mishaeli states. "The registration process is only the requirement of the Ministry of Education" he says.

Appeals Committee is not providing

Registration areas also do not exist in practice "institutions which have the same structure is primary and elementary school or in the neighborhood in which the student resides but if she wants to register she is rejected on the grounds that the elementary is not connected to the seminary, although the structure was allocated by the Authority and they get budgets and receive icon institution of the Ministry of Education."

Concerning the Appeal Committee of the Ministry of Education, Mishaeli says: "personal acquaintance and from conversations with parents, 98% of girls receive a negative answer.

"This committee must change, although there are recent reshuffles in the Committee thankfully, but in my opinion one must place a neutral member who will be a representative of urban and neutral representative of the parents."

In conclusion Mishaeli offers that in order to avoid discrimination, the authority must be granted the ability to hold a lottery among the girls enrolled in the institution and are over quota. He said: "It exists in several educational administration authorities."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!