There are advantages in having boys study together with the girls • Friedman in an exclusive interview

"My children, Yaakov and Yosef, were very happy that they went to school. We also have to appreciate in public the school board, Bnos Yerushalayim, who were fair and appropriate, although they are subject to the decision of the court," Moshe Aryeh Friedman said to B'Chadrei Charedim.


Friedman, a resident of Antwerp, Belgium, caused a sensation when he insisted on making a court decision – in which his sons will study in a school for girls.


Following the storm, Friedman gave this evening (Monday) an extensive interview with B'Chadrei Charedim where he revealed, among other things his efforts with his wife to solve the problem of his children learning in a compromise way, which has not yet reached the issue in the court: "I have given every chance I can only give, I went to court just by no other alternative.

He refused to admit that the court decision is a victory: "There is no winning and losing," he explains. "I would be very happy if I got into a situation where all of them can say that they are defeated me, but the only reason that we appealed to the court is to satisfy the interests of our children as parents, we tried to do everything with great respect, and circumstances that were before us, this was the best way".


• Do you understand why they do not agree to accept any one of your children in other schools?

"If I would understand, be assured that we would get a different solution. There is probably not a matter of principle, and certainly not the opinion of the Torah. All the injustice done to me is the opposite of reason and the Torah and who worked against accepting my children acted against Jewish interests of the people of Israel."

The war just begun
• Maybe they did not want you because of your relationship with Neturei Karta, your relationship with Holocaust deniers?

"These allegations are fictitious. In the past I was stigmatized as a member of Neturei Karta and today it's a lie to say it. I went a long way, I changed my lifestyle and I also fought many of this group. Pushing the debate on the education of my children to such a place is not responsible and not fair ".


Moshe Aryeh Friedman is the father of 8 children. So far he has managed to get only two of his children into an educational institution in Antwerp.

"My two other sons have passed the age of the school, and the law in Belgium is not valid to them. But I have three other girls, which you could say of them that they were the best girls who learned in the institutions in the United States, and even them they refused to enroll in school.


"It really is not right to come to me with the claims that I wanted in order to spite to register the boys in the girls school, because also the girls were not accepted to the girl's school."


In a few days the local court is expected to give its decision also on the three remaining daughters: "I believe that there will be a similar decision, but it will cause less hassle, since they will probably come to learn in the school of girls."

• Why did you fight to put your children into Belze schools?

"There was no war here against the school of Belze Hasidim, or other school, there was a cause here that my children will be able to sit in a classroom and learn Jewish education. Beyond that, my wife's family is Belze Hasidim, and beyond that Bnos Yerushalayim School is very good."



The children were happy
• You said your kids were happy that they got to go to school for girls, is that so?

"There is no halachic problem that boys learn in a class with girls," he says. "I do not think it bothers them, but on the contrary, there are many positive things in the education that girls receive. Also on a social standpoint it has advantages for them.


"As I said, in the circumstances before us, the public law was not a problem." According to Friedman, "The girls were happy that my children were attending school, every child likes something new, a new student. It is another matter if there is instigation of parents, a child would be happy about it."


• Are you afraid of the appeal pending the court's decision?
"Every citizen has the right to appeal. The decision in the meantime stayed the same; the appeal does not change the law in Belgium."


• How did the rest of your children feel today?

"They were very happy, especially my wife, she was very happy. In my house there are no politics, no bills, they get the decision and the fact that they went to school without going into all the other stuff going on."

• Are you happy with all the commotion around you?

"It must not be so, I'm not happy. I try to concentrate on the interests of my children."


Finally Friedman was asked whether he recently received threats and harassment, and to that he replied: "This is not the first time. I have received threats on my life; I take it seriously without underestimating it. I do not want to involve the story of my children with the threats I get, I shall deal with it separately."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!