School principal rejects allegations of segregation

The principal of Lamerchav elementary school in Petach Tikva, which stood at the heart of a heated controversy last week following charges it practiced segregation against four Ethiopian students, vehemently denied all allegations of racism.

In a letter sent to the Petach Tikva municipality, principal Avraham Garnevitch explained that the school's administration chose not respond to the publications in the media, "because the passionate attacks left no room for real and logical explanations.

"Defending oneself and providing answers in the midst of a lynch campaign while nobody is interested in hearing out the facts, is completely useless," he wrote.

In the letter, Garnevitch stressed that the school chooses its students based on religious criteria, while the ethnic background plays no role in the selection process. He noted that about half of the school's students were of Sephardic background.

Referring to the affair involving the Ethiopian girls, Garnevitch explained that they were put in a separate classroom in a bid to help them advance in their studies, and particularly improve their reading and writing skills, before they could join their homeroom class.

According to Garnevitch, had the girls been integrated into a regular class before they could receive sufficient tutoring, this would have caused more harm than good. He added that the girls participated in many school activities such as school trips, music, gym classes, and arts and crafts workshops, along with all the other students.

"The allegation that there was intentional separation between the immigrant girls and the other students constitutes malicious slander and a true blood libel," he stated.

The principal also rejected claims that the girls had been separated from the other students during breaks, saying both the educational staff and fellow students could attest to the falseness of this charge.