No matter how many times I encounter stories like this, I still am surprised by them. According to an article in Ha'aretz discrimination against Sephardim still runs supreme in some Charedi schools in Israel. The current method used to keep these students out is Tznius. Not of the student, but of the mother.
According to Rabbi Yoav Lalum, claims of immodest behavior are usually a front for justifying discrimination. Lalum is the chairman of a non-profit organization battling ultra-Orthodox schools over sectorial discrimination against Jews of Sephardic heritage.
I can understand requiring a Halachic level of Tznius for students. I can even understand requiring a very high level of Tznius. It is perfectly acceptable for any private school to set up what ever standards it wishes… for the students.
It is also not unreasonable to require the standards in the home to be in concert with the standards of the school. But requiring an identical set of standards for a parent in the manner done in this instance smacks of a hidden agenda. Especially when the requirement is coupled with threats of expulsion if those standards are not perfectly followed.
Personally I don't think those standards are reasonable. At least not all of them. But that is a side issue. What kind of standards are we talking about? Here is the list:
Completely covering her hair; shirts - not tight or with printed phrases, closed at the neck and covering the elbows; skirts - not tight, without slits, and jeans material is not allowed; socks are required and must cover all the exposed leg; and all fashion accessories must be modest and not stand out too much.
The parent is told that the child will not be fully registered until the school is certain of compliance by the parent. They are also informed that:
If the expected progress does not happen, the student will not have a place in our school. If the matters are corrected for a period of time and afterward there is a relapse [from meeting the conditions], the student will removed from the school.
I truly wonder if these conditions are spelled out in this way to every parent applying to the school. Aside from the severe nature of the standards themselves, to impose them on a parent with the threat of expulsion if they are not followed is beyond reasonable in my view and smacks of using Tznius as a means of discrimination. I'm glad to see that someone is taking on the system here. Rabbi Lalum is currently handling 100 cases where ultra-Orthodox educational institutions have refused to admittance to these students. According to the Ha'Aretz, he plans to petition the High Court of Justice on the matter.
If there is a hidden agenda of discrimination at work here then I hope Rabbi Lalum's petition succeeds and shuts down the school. There is no room for prejudice in a Jewish home and using Tznius standards as a way to keep these students out should never be tolerated. Closing down this school will send a loud and clear message to others and hopefully end this shameful practice.
