Schools Pressured Into Accepting Ethiopian Immigrants

September 1, 2009

 Three private Orthodox schools in the city of Petach Tikvah backed down and agreed to accept Ethiopian immigrant students after the government threatened to cut off their funding.  More than 100 Ethiopian immigrant students were originally rejected by the schools, which did not offer excuse or apology for their racist admission policies.

NIF has been at the forefront of the struggle to end discrimination against Ethiopian immigrant schoolchildren and provided an emergency grant to Hakol Hinuch, the Movement for the Advancement of Education in Israel to promote the rights of Ethiopian immigrant students in Petach Tikvah.  Hakol Hinuch works for education reform as a means to close social gaps and provide all citizens with opportunities for economic and cultural achievement.

Rabbi Shay Piron: There can be no compromise on racism.

Rabbi Shay Piron, Executive Director of Hakol Hinuch personally lobbied emergency Knesset committee sessions, consulted with Education Ministry officials and was interviewed extensively by the media.   Hinuch compared the situation to segregation in the US in the 1950s.

In order to be considered halachically Jewish, the Chief Rabbinate demands that Ethiopian immigrants attend religious schools.  However, due to the segregation practiced by some of Israel’s Orthodox schools, these students are often denied admittance.

Rabbi Piron said, "There can be no compromise on racism. Schools funded by the government must above all else be prepared to meet the challenge of integrating immigrants."

On Monday, NIF grantee Tebeka –Advocacy for Equality and Justice for Ethiopian Israelis petitioned the High Court of Justice to order Petach Tikvah’s schools to accept the children who have not yet been allocated places. The court gave the Ministry of Education and the Petach Tikvah Municipality 48 hours to respond.