The Rabbinical Council on (Women's) Seminaries issued a harsh
attack against attempts to bring university studies to the
chareidi community in the guise of a "chareidi college."
In recent direct-mail and newspaper ads under the heading
"University Bar-Ilan to Open Degree Program in Computer
Sciences," the heads of the Chareidi College of Jerusalem
(Michlala Hachareidit Yerushalayim) invite young women
to register for academic courses leading to a degree from Bar-
Ilan University.
The ads say that the institution has the backing of prominent
rabbonim including gedolei Yisroel among their
supporters, but no names appear in the ads. A Yated
Ne'eman reporter inquiring about the claimed endorsement
by gedolei Yisroel was told, "Every time the rabbonim
came out against the colleges they never came out against us,
which indicates that they support us--with tacit
approval."
In recent months maranan verabonon have been waging an
uncompromising campaign against attempts of the Ministry of
Education to force substantive changes in the curriculum of
chareidi seminaries for girls since these efforts are
designed to bring the spirit of the Haskoloh into
beis Yisroel. A special rabbinical committee was set
up to keep an ongoing watch against all attempts to draw the
chareidi public to "university-style colleges" that have been
opening and posing as chareidi institutions, since their goal
is to introduce academia and tainted higher education into
the chareidi community.
Rav Tzvi Cohen, organizer of the Rabbinical Committee for
Seminaries and Advanced Study at Beis Yaakov said last week
that gedolei hador voice staunch opposition against
all proposals to forge ties with the universities and with
higher education. "The college calls itself a `chareidi
college,' but the study program follows all of the structure
and format of the universities. All gedolei Yisroel
warn unequivocally that this represents a move toward
Haskoloh and an attempt to introduce these tainted
concepts into our sector. These studies are prohibited by
gedolei Yisroel due to the grave danger of introducing
the Haskoloh, notorious for destroying all taharas
Yisroel, into kerem Beis Yisroel."
