The radio reported yesterday morning that a Beit Yaakov high school in Jerusalem was requiring future students to sign a form confirming that they will pray with an Ashkenazi accent. Walla has a report on the story. Here are a few of the questions and conditions listed: Preference is given to girls whose fathers are "graduates of holy yeshivas" and whose mothers are Beit Yaakov graduates. "Prayer in our school must be with an ashkenazi accent (havara). Registration to our school requires the girl to pray with an ashkenazi accent." Walla point out that the pronunciation and accent of words is completely different for sephardi girls, and some sephardi rabbis maintain that the prayer … [Read more...]
Questions to Ask When Choosing a School for Your Children
October 21, 2012 by 12 Comments
This post originally appeared in January, 2009. Here is an update, including the original comments. When parents are choosing a school for their oldest child, they might imagine that they will find the perfect school. Compromise is more likely. But once you decide your priorities, you can go ahead and make the best choice for your child and family. How to Find Information: Ask parents with children in the school. Keep in mind that their information will be biased. Once children are settled in a school, parents sometimes need to justify their decision and may minimize issues. They may also have an interest in encouraging parents to send to their school (or discouraging undesirable … [Read more...]
Surprises from the First Day of School
August 28, 2012 by 19 Comments
Did summer feel short to you? For the first time in history, Israeli schools didn't start on the first of September. Starting on the 27th of August gave us back five extra days of vacation during the last school year. My vacation went like this: New York niece came for 3.5 weeks, husband and son went to the US for 10 days, we all went on a family vacation, and school started. So summer passed quickly despite the terrible heat and humidity. Today has been the first pleasant day in two months. My youngest two started fourth and sixth grades. Last year, their schedules coincided five out of six days each week, even though one had two late days and one had three. I didn't expect such luck … [Read more...]
Should You Join the Schoolbook Borrowing Program?
May 31, 2012 by 16 Comments
Reader Nati asked me whether I knew of a downside to participating in the education ministry's new schoolbook borrowing plan. Parents have been complaining about the high cost of schoolbooks as long as I've had kids in school. The books get pricier every year, the schools change curricula regularly, and there are too many workbooks. So the education ministry has allotted a budget for a nationwide book-borrowing project, implemented by individual schools. It works like this: The schools have sent out letters to all parents. Sixty percent of the parents need to agree before the school can implement the program. Parents do not have to participate. To kick-start the project, they are … [Read more...]
Channel 2 Documentary on Beit Shemesh School Battle
December 25, 2011 by 51 Comments
I had mixed feelings about translating and re-uploading this documentary about the school situation in Beit Shemesh, which has been going on in September. There is a lot of anti-haredi feeling in the country right now, and I fear that it could get out of hand. However, we can't let people get what they want through violence and intimidation. Thanks to Tsipi for helping with the translation. Happy Chanukah. … [Read more...]
Video: Israeli School Supplies Guide
September 1, 2011 by 13 Comments
Today was the first day of school for most children here in Israel. My kids are all in the same schools as last year so the transition has been smooth. If you're a new (or not so new) immigrant it might be a different story! The school supplies, especially the notebooks and folders, are not the same as the ones you may have grown up with. So I made this video to explain. Look for the annotations that have the names of the supplies in English, Hebrew, and transliteration. Note: I misspoke at minute 3:55. The plastic covers for books, notebooks and workbooks are called atifot. The annotation includes the correction. Also, I don't include machberet hachamah, a smart … [Read more...]
Beit Shemesh School Battle
August 30, 2011 by 29 Comments
School conflicts and strikes are a normal part of Israeli life at this time of year. Today we take you to Beit Shemesh (again). Several years ago the education ministry and the municipality of Beit Shemesh built a new building for the girls of Orot, a state-religious elementary school. The new school adjoins the boys' branch of the school and borders a haredi neighborhood. (Rafi has a map with explanations.) When protesters from the haredi buildings began vandalizing the building, the Orot parents from the school camped there overnight. A participant told me that she was called a Nazi and a prutza (whore). People threw garbage and feces. The mayor has refused to grant a license to … [Read more...]
Sex Separation in State Religious Schools a National Issue
August 22, 2011 by 11 Comments
The story brewing over the last few months regards the character of the state religious schools, known in Hebrew by the acronym MM"D or mamad (not to be confused with safe rooms that use the same acronym and pronunciation). And like so many previous educational struggles involving mamad, this one takes place right here in Petach Tikva. Amishav started off as a transit camp for North African immigrants on the outskirts of the city. Like so many other maabarot, it remained depressed. Around 20 years ago the city began to develop the neighborhood, now known as Hadar Ganim. The influx of national-religious parents decided to send their children to the local mamad, called Morasha, and thus … [Read more...]
Scandal of the Schoolbooks
August 10, 2011 by 15 Comments
It started with a boycott of cottage cheese. Next were protests against high apartment prices and rentals. Then there was daycare, baby items (!) and now electricity. Israelis are protesting high prices everywhere. I'm not sure there is an easy way to solve most of these problems. Health care is cheap here but apartments are not. Vegetables are cheap but dairy products are not. There are issues with corruption and cartels, yet we have a stable economy and low unemployment. The protesters seem to want the government to control prices, and have taxpayer money subsidize most of our basic needs. While I understand the motives for the protests, the ramifications concern me. I'm no economic … [Read more...]
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