School suspends 'The Voice' contestant
Ophir Ben-Sheetrit, 17, punished by her religious girls' school for singing in public in front of men on television show
Ophir Ben-Sheetrit, a 17-year-old Israeli student, has a remarkably beautiful singing voice and is one of the favorite contestants on the Israeli version of television show “The Voice.”
Unfortunately, instead of being lauded for her God-given gift, the 12th grade student was recently suspended from her religious girls’ high school in Ashdod for two weeks for simply singing in public.
Hard to believe, but true.
The Israeli songstress is the victim of some of the parents of other students at the same high school who disagree with her airing using her voice to sing where a man could possibly hear it.
And, Ben Sheetrit’s own parents approved the suspension.
“I think the Torah wants us to find ways to be happy,” Ben Sheetrit, who is being coached by Israeli singer Aviv Geffen, said during an interview on the show. “The Torah wants music to make people happy, and I think it’s possible to do both, which is why I came to the show.”
As a result of those complaints, Ben-Sheetrit was not only suspended from her school, buy is also required to attend special Jewish law classes. The move is not only a punishment, but is supposedly being used to make an example of the 17-year-old, while acting as a deterrent to her classmates.
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life
