Flyers urging haredim to protest
Photo: Amnon Meranda
Court delays Emmanuel parents' arrests
High Court allows hour for hearing on compromise, but parents claim they prefer to go to jail
The Noar K'Halacha youth movement has suggested a compromise between Emmanuel parents and the High Court of Justice, according to which parents who refuse to send their girls to a school whose
discriminatory policies will be canceled will be able to transfer them to another school unfunded by the government.
The movement made a last-minute attempt Thursday to prevent the arrests of 86 parents belonging to the Slonim Hassidic dynasty, who stood by a school policy the court deemed racist and refused to return their girls to the school until a court order canceling
segregation between Sephardim and Ashkenazim there was reversed.
Disagreement
Head of Slonim Hasidic dynasty meets with 86 parents slated to be sent to be imprisoned for failing to honor High Court ruling against school discrimination, says 'we are willing to go to jail over this matter'
The arrests were originally scheduled for 12 pm, but were delayed by an hour in order to allow the parents to respond to the suggestion. The State Prosecutor's Office filed an additional appeal to delay the arrests until 5 pm, after the protests promised by the ultra-Orthodox community had ended.
However the parents have already stated unequivocally that they would prefer jail to any compromise. "Following the request of the petitioners to delay arrests, which was just now filed without the parents' knowledge, the parents want to clarify that the request does not reflect reality and is solely a product of their imaginations," the parents' attorney, Mordechai Green, told the court.
"There has been no contact whatsoever between the parents and the petitioners, and it seems that the petitioners' aim is not the parents' wellbeing but rather to pull wool over the court's eyes with irrelevant arguments." He added that the parents were "prepared for their arrests".
Meanwhile 20 couples have filed separate appeals with the High Court asking not to be arrested due to "extenuating circumstances". The court has said it will debate the requests separately. In addition, it has canceled warrants for the arrests of five couples because they are parents to children with special needs.
