The Union of Bais Yaakov Seminary Principals announced, after
consulting with gedolei Yisroel shlita, that if seminary
acceptance procedures based on technical, formal criteria are imposed
on them, rather than the spiritual guidelines the seminaries are
founded on, they will be unable to open the school year. Under such
circumstances some 30,000 students around the country, representing
all backgrounds, would not be going to classes.
The consensus was reached during a special meeting held this week and
government entities were updated regarding the decision.
The Union stated that the seminaries are run according to binding
regulations developed over many years by seminary administrations,
under the guidance of gedolei Yisroel shlita.
Several months ago principals turned to gedolei Yisroel shlita,
seeking advice on how to confront Education Ministry demands to set up
municipal school placement committees. The unambiguous answer: do not
allow any outside intervention in the acceptance process.
The seminaries play a crucial role in shaping the student's future
direction in life, which in turn has a profound impact on her home and
her future children. In essence the seminaries are the parallel to the
yeshivas, not merely educational institutions.
As such, the seminaries are founded on spiritual regulations. The
Union had a set of regulations already in place, which also served as
a common denominator among all the seminaries. This set of regulations
is the only way to ensure the students at the school are suited to the
Beis Yaakov environment.
The Union has made it clear that a student who applies to a particular
seminar is accepted entirely on the basis of whether she meets the
rules and character of the seminar. Other qualities, such as her level
of academic achievement are of secondary importance. The main thing is
her spiritual conduct and her values.
Those who are trying to pressure the seminars make the issue an ethnic
one but it is not. Girls are not accepted or rejected based on their
ethnic background but the issues of spiritual and ideological values.
However when a girl from an Ashkenazic background is not accepted it
is clear that the reasons are spiritual and ideological but when a
girl from a Sephardic background is not accepted they claim that her
ethnic background is the cause. This is not true.
The State Comptroller would like to institute rules for acceptance
that would exclude any reference to her or her family's behavior
outside of the walls of the seminar. This approach suffers from a
fundamental lack of understanding the educational framework of Bais
Yaakov. The school seeks to function as a seamless element of
spiritual education that applies to all aspects of the students'
lives, all days of the week and in all hours of the day.
To accept any formal and/or objective criteria for the acceptance of
students would completely destroy the educational framework that Bais
Yaakov has painstakingly built up over the years and it is
unacceptable.
