Antwerp perplexed: Ministry of Education obliges 'core studies'

The Orthodox community in Antwerp is in predicament: Moshe Aryeh Friedman received the court's approval to be an authoritative party to conduct the prosecution case filed by the haredi community against the Ministry of Education Studies regarding the core curriculum in Haredi schools.

The story begins with the demand of the education authorities in Antwerp from schools and Talmud Torah of Satmar and Belz Chassidus, to teach core curriculum.

Although the educational institutions are private, they are funded by the government and the Ministry of Education announced the existence of flying exams which will accurately measure the knowledge of students.

Children that fail will have to pass another test, and if they fail again, will have to go to a public school.

Haredi functionaries hired the services of an attorney who filed for an injunction against the Ministry of Education on the grounds that it violates the law of separation of religion and state and attempts to interfere with the religious content taught in schools.

The court rejected the claim and gave the Ministry of Education the authority to require a core curriculum in Haredi schools .

Under the new law a child must learn core studies, even if not in school. Haredi schools are defined as "home schools" when the parent must teach his children at home under a program of the Ministry of Education. But if the parent neglects his role, he must take his children out of school.

Yesterday was another hearing in the court in Antwerp where activists sought through their attorney to postpone the decision. To their amazement, they discovered that Moshe Aryeh Friedman has been appointed to represent the Ministry of Education in the case.

In his speech he justified the core curriculum in the Haredi schools and said that does not contradict the principles of religion and is not related to religion.

"In fact it is enforcing an old law," he said, "The schools of Satmar and the Beis Malka School of Belz, and other schools are state budgeted and undertook to teach core curriculum. The Ministry of Education did not enforce the law and believed the reports submitted to them. Now the Ministry of Education decided once and for all to enforce the law."

A sensation occurred at the place when the lawyer for the community submitted a document signed by 1200 parents who gave him the power to represent them, Friedman asked to see the list and discovered that in the second place on the list is an avrech who was murdered ten years ago, in third place is the name of Elior Chen who is serving an imprisonment of several years in Israeli prison.

Friedman proved to the judge that the haredi activists are not telling the truth, saying that the representative of the community composed a list of false names.

The judge postponed the decision of the hearing by two weeks. Meanwhile, the haredi community leaders are trying to learn the new situation, and claim that the person responsible for letters sent by the Ministry of Education is none other than Moshe Aryeh Friedman, whose children are in the "Foundations of Torah – Beis Yaakov" , not included on the list of schools funded by the government. To remove the evil decree or to postpone it, activists will be forced to approach Friedman.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!