Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on February 27, 2017

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday unveiled new directives they said would end discrimination against ultra-Orthodox Sephardic girls, many of whom are rejected from largely Ashkenazi institutions due to their ethnic background.

Dozens of Sephardic students, primarily those applying to the Beis Yaakov network of high schools, remain at home every year after being refused admission into schools, in an issue that has plagued the ultra-Orthodox community for years.

Critics charge the schools maintain non-official quotas of Sephardic students, stemming from endemic racism against those whose families originate in Arab or Muslim lands.

Many of the schools deny the allegations of discrimination while insisting they should be allowed to admit or reject students at their discretion. Countering claims of discrimination, some Ashkenazi schools point to the parallel Shas school system in place since 1984, arguing the Sephardic education framework is responsible for absorbing those students.

Sitting alongside Deri during the weekly Shas faction meeting, Bennett said the new regulations, effective immediately, would force ultra-Orthodox schools to begin the registration process earlier in the year. That directive would give the ministry and the students more time to find an alternate school or force the institution to accept them, he said. He also promised transparency, saying the schools would be obligated to explain why they rejected each student and an appeals panel would be set up in the ministry to oversee complaints by parents.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (L) speaks with Education Minister Nafatli Bennett during the opening of the winter session of the Knesset, Jerusalem, October 31, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

No girl will be discriminated against due to ethnicity, period, said Bennett. This is a problem that shouldnt have existed in the State of Israel, he added.

Deri, the Shas party leader, said his initial proposal to force regional registration of all students was rejected due to internal coalition sparring.

But he lauded the compromise, saying for us, the Shas faction, today is a holiday.

Continued here:
Ministers move to end anti-Sephardi discrimination in ultra-Orthodox schools - The Times of Israel

Category: Ashkenazi
Tags: