Jewish Scene
Ashkenazi seminary for Sephardic girls
Moshe Heller
Published: 13.11.12, 08:08
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1. Discrimination at all levels in haredi community. What's new
Jew1 ,   Ashdod   (11.13.12)
They discriminate between rights of men and woman & between seculars and haredi. They discriminate between ashkenazi and sephardi and between ultra haredi sector to dati haredi sector. Between taliban haredi sector to ultra haredi sector. They separte foothpaths and in some areas also shops. They don't recognize state laws but tora laws. They don't recognize state of Israel but do recognize tora. Blah Blah Blah. They talk about why 25000 students of rabbi Akkiva died in period of Omer and learn about it day and night and spend all their life learning it but the outcome is zero. They have the rate and ratio of discrimination more than any other community. Everything is bogus.
2. #1 There's NO discrimination between Ashkenazim & Sephardim
Dov ,   Israel   (11.13.12)
It's only between the LEVEL OF TZNIUT. Many Ashkenazim would not be accepted into Ashkenazic schools if they don't follow the tzniut level of that school. It has nothing to do with Ashkenazim & Sephardim. In fact, AT LEAST 30% of students in Ashkenazic schools are Sephardim. Don't expect entire truth from anti-haredi media unless you're also one of haredi haters.
3. Reply to 2. Yated Ne'eman
Joseph ,   London England   (11.13.12)
Among those who have condemned discrimination against Sephardi girls in Litvish schools have been Yated Ne'eman and the Gaon Rav Elyashiv ztl. Having said that, I certainly agree that the secular media often have their own anti-religious agenda.
4. Elyashiv and Auerbach
Joe ,   Baltimore, USA   (11.13.12)
In Litvish circles the names Elyashiv, Kanievski, Karelitz and Auerbach are royalty. Having two of the four names on the seminary's letterhead is good going. I wish them well, BUT why run a separate sem for Sephardic girls? Is it to protect the Minhag Sepharad?
5. If I, as a Mizrahi, had any girls ...
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (11.13.12)
... I wouldn't want to turn them over to "black hat" Ashkenazim for an education. Rather than following the "middle way" of Maimonides, they'd imbibe the extremes, the separatism, and a distorted sense of what's "permitted". I was chatting with my aunt, who belongs to the traditional Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn. She despairs that many young girls today are now open to marrying "learners" - men who don't work or run businesses, but rather sit and study in yeshivas and kollels. This is something new, the result of spending time with the ultra-religious in Israel.
6. #5 An unrelated question
(11.13.12)
Slightly unrelated question to the topic: do Syrian Jews all identify as Mizrahim? To my knowledge there were lots of Sephardim in Syria, and the genetic studies I've seen also suggest Syrian Jews are primarily Sephardic of origin.
7. Who are you kidding #2
Elon   (11.14.12)
There is documented evidence that Sephardi boys are treated as if they are a lower level in Talmud. And Sephardi dress is NOT less tzniut than Ashkenazi. And if it was, you enforce dress codes in school not worry about what the rumors of what they might possibly be wearing at home.
8. Separate but Equal. Its called apartheid.
miki ,   tampa   (11.14.12)
9. Lithuania
Abe   (11.15.12)
While the Lithuanian Jews were some of the most religious in all of Europe, they suffered one of the worse fates during the Holocaust in that most of their community was destroyed with the highest percentage killed. As a result, they should not be looking down on other religious Jews by discriminating against them in any way, especially if they don't follow their particular local customs.
10. From a Jew first and Ashkenazi second
robert ,   antwerp belgium   (08.19.13)
I think that when a Lithuanian Jew opens a school only for sefardi girls in response to claims of discrimination in Ashkenazi haredi schools, it is almost adding insult to injury. It looks like saying we would rather open another school rather than accept your daughters.
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