Hiddush Petitions the Supreme Court:
One of every Seven Jerusalem children attend unregistered schools!
In violation of the law and ignoring both the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality - more than 40,000 children in Jerusalem study in schools that operate without licenses! Hiddush and Jerusalem City Council Member Dr. Laura Wharton petitioned the Supreme Court, demanding that Israel’s law of compulsory education be enforced in the city.
05/02/2020 13:28
Tags: Ministry of Education · Jerusalem · core curricular requirements · core curriculum · children · schools · schooling · education · Haredi education
Hiddush – for religious freedom and equality and Jerusalem City Council member Dr. Laura Wharton filed a petition yesterday (Feb. 4, 2020) to the Supreme Court against the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality, demanding that they enforce the Compulsory Education Law for approximately 40,000 children in the City of Jerusalem, half of whom are ultra-Orthodox and half of whom reside in East Jerusalem, who are not registered with any officially recognized educational institution.
There are currently 280,000 students in Jerusalem learning in institutions that operate legally, including those that are officially state schools, those that are part of ultra-Orthodox education networks, and those that are considered state-approved (either: 1. recognized but unofficial, or 2. exempt institutions). However, according to the data disclosed in the petition, there are also between 40,000-50,000 children of compulsory school age in Jerusalem, most of which are studying in illegal institutions that are not recognized by the state in any category, particularly in extremist ultra-Orthodox sects (mostly affiliated with Satmar Chassidism) and in East Jerusalem. “Eyes are completely shut to this, intentionally, by the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality alike,” as argued in the petition.
This is not merely a technical formal violation of Israeli law. These tens of thousands of students are not acquiring basic skills, are being denied core curricular studies, their schools have no safety oversight, be it medical or sanitary, and there is utterly no supervision over the teaching methods at their schools.
The petition focuses on the ultra-Orthodox sector, which the petitioners examined, and includes testimonies of former students at illegal ultra-Orthodox schools, which present a horrifying snapshot: They describe systematic violence of teachers against students, as an accepted practice. Sexual injuries are common, but there is no one to complain to, and whoever complains can expect serious penalties. The studies at such schools include blatant anti-Zionist content and other serious phenomena. The testimonials also indicate that the curriculum content at these schools makes it difficult for graduates to shape their paths as they grow older and integrate into the job market, as they strive to support their families, for the content of these illegal curricula lacks essential elements of general, basic education.
Israel’s Law mandates that both the Ministry of Education and the local authorities continuously monitor the registration of children who are of compulsory school age in official education networks. They must make sure that every child gets a state-approved education.
Israel’s Law mandates that both the Ministry of Education and the local authorities continuously monitor the registration of children who are of compulsory school age in official education networks. They must make sure that every child gets a state-approved education. According to the School Supervision Law, the Ministry of Education and the local authorities have the duty to take administrative and criminal actions against educational institutions that operate illegally, as well as against the parents of such children who sent to these illegal schools, but the authorities have never attempted to take any such actions.
The Ministry of Education and the local authorities responsible for school supervision have been seriously negligent. The horrifying data show that this is a massive violation of the Compulsory Education Law, which impacts tens of thousands of children. It is imperative that every child be protected and that every school be supervised to ensure proper learning and living conditions. The public and the government must take responsibility for all children. Personal opinions, religious beliefs, and affiliations with various peripheral groups are no excuse for such blatant, horrible neglect.
Hiddush has consistently been active since its very founding in its efforts to eradicate such phenomena, in which the state authorities refrain from enforcing the law on individuals and groups in the religious sector. This only supports extremists in their efforts to realize their desire to rule over their communities as ‘states within the state’, immune from Israel’s rule of law and democracy. The unholy alliance between religion and politics undermines the rule of law, as well as the credibility of the authorities; it deprives those who are educated in such schools freedom of choice and the ability to integrate as equal citizens in the labor market, should they wish to do so in the future. When all of this is accompanied by unsupervised and otherwise preventable sexual violence and harassment, it becomes starkly clear that this pus-filled abscess urgently requires serious treatment. It is a pity that, once again, it turns out that without civil society organizations like Hiddush to appeal these illegal practices to the courts, the state authorities continue to shut their eyes to these abuses, preferring to ignore the harsh reality.