Beit Yaakov School. 'Beautiful ingathering of the exiles'
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Haredi school presents: No discrimination
Sephardic, Ashkenazi girls study together in harmony in Beit Yaakov School in Tel Zion. 'I feel proud living in such a community,' one of parents says
Girls of Ethiopian, American, French, Russian, Moroccan and Mexican descent all study in the same classroom. This takes place in the Beit Yaakov ultra-Orthodox school in the community of Tel Zion, where one must not even mention the concept of racial discrimination.
The community is located near the West Bank city of Ramallah. These days, while we often hear of discrimination against members of the Ethiopian community and of haredi institutions restricting the number of Sephardic students, a place where Sephardic and Ashkenazi girls study together in harmony is a real beacon of light.
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On the outside, the school looks like an ordinary haredi educational institution: Students wear a modest sky-colored school uniform, which includes a long dress, long socks and sleeves. The teachers dress modestly as well.
But unlike other institutions, which practice discrimination, this school's list of students includes names from all ends of the spectrum: Marciano and Atias alongside Mintzberg and Zelikovich.
In the reality of haredi education, this is not a trivial thing: According to procedures in many haredi schools and seminars for girls, Sephardic children cannot make up more than one-third of the students.
Two years ago, parents from the community of Emmanuel preferred to go to jail rather than have their daughters study alongside Sephardic girls.
"It's a principle here. The only parameter in admitting children to schools or kindergartens is their religious level," says Rabbi David Azoulay, chairman of the community committee.
"It's a beautiful ingathering of the exiles. There's no difference between one person and another. The words Sephardic and Ashkenazi have been erased from our lexicon."
"I feel like part of something historic in the haredi public, a real model of life together," says Eyal Reuven, whose two daughters study in the school. "There is a very high spiritual and educational level here, as well as huge education value the girls receive because of the friendship and interaction.
"My daughters learn different customs, different cultures, play with girls who speak Yiddish. It's enriching and fruitful. I'm proud to be living in such a place."
