The yeshiva high school system* in Israel is elitist. To get in you need a good report card, high test scores, financial means, and, often, "protekzia." There are alternatives—private programs for kids who don't fit in to the yeshiva high school system, and public religious high schools. But those alternatives may have something of a stigma attached. The admissions process until now didn't help matters. Each yeshiva high school or ulpana test for a fee. If you did well, the school called you for an interview. Once accepted, you paid a nonrefundable deposit to hold your place. Every school had a slightly different process. Some schools tested at the end of fifth grade, others in the … [Read more...]