Group: Education Ministry perpetuates religious ghettos
Non-profit group challenges government approval for independent school for Ashkenazi Emmanuel students
A non-profit group promoting basic rights for young haredim submitted a harsh statement to the High Court of Justice on Thursday over the Education Ministry's approval for an independent religious school in Emmanuel.
The Ministry's decision serves to perpetuate the existence of "religious ghettos," the group said.
The school, earmarked for Hasidic girls, will not be funded by the state and will be exempt from adhering to government guidelines.
Lawyers for the Noar KaHalacha group, attorneys Aviad Hacohen and Yeshayahu Avraham, said the Education Ministry did not explain the reasoning for approving a new school for such a small number of students, and against Ministry policy.
The statement further noted that the Emmanuel parents' request for an independent school does not meet the criteria set by the Education Ministry.
The statement noted that as late as May 2010, the Education Ministry's director-general stressed that opening an independent school in Emmanuel was out of the question in light of the limited number of students seeking to enter such a unique educational framework.
The group also claimed that the approval granted by the Ministry renders the High Court's verdict on the Emmanuel affair null and void and rewards racial segregation. The petitioners said the establishment of an independent school legitimizes the shameful situation of "equal but separate" and perpetuates racial discrimination in the haredi education system.
The statement also noted that the Emmanuel parents have yet to pay their fine for contempt of the court.
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