Antwerp judge ruled: Boys will learn at school for girls
A Belgian judge obligated the school "Bnos Yerushalayim" to accept the sons of Moshe Aryeh Friedman, although this is contrary to Halacha • Friedman: I had no other choice
- Yoel Bittleman, Behadrey Haredim
- י"ח טבת התשע"ג
The Orthodox community in Antwerp is furious: a local court ruled last Thursday - with blatant interference in proceedings at Haredi educational institutions - that the girls' school 'Bnos Yerushalayim' must accept into its ranks boys as well, against the laws of halacha. For each day the children will not be accepted - the school will pay a fine of $ 2,600.
The newspaper "Gazet van Anwerpen" reports that the decision was made following a claim by Moshe Aryeh Friedman against the school - which refused to accept his sons. The judge ruled that the school is subsidized by the Flemish Ministry of Education in Belgium, and therefore is committed to the laws of the state, by which it is prohibited to discriminate against children according to their gender, and therefore the school must admit boys as well.
Friedman himself claimed in an interview to the media, with the ruling, that he had no other choice. The school defended itself in court, claiming that according to the laws of the Torah one is not allowed to teach boys and girls together. It also claimed that is not prepared to teach boys, since it does not employ male teachers.
However, the judge gave to the school a week, during which it could explain why as a public school, it is demanding not to admit the boys to its ranks.
The affair began two years ago, when Moshe Aryeh Friedman, who lived until then in Vienna, Austria to Antwerp, moved to Belgium – where his father in law lives. Friedman was known as a "provocateur" and was one of the "Neturei Karta, who participated in the 'Holocaust deniers' conference' in Iran, where he also lived for several months.
While he moved to Belgium, Friedman announced that he will abandon 'Neturei Karta' and the ties he had with senior figures in Iran, and begin a new path. But Antwerp did not like the new tenant, and refused to accept his children to the schools of the kehilla.
For months the Friedman family's seven children stayed at home, while religious institutions refused to accept them. Friedman made a test, at the end of which he discovered that the school 'Bnos Yerushalayim' is a state school, a beneficiary of the authorities and is obligated to its laws. Consequently, the case went to court to receive his children.
The newspaper "Gazet van Anwerpen" reports that the decision was made following a claim by Moshe Aryeh Friedman against the school - which refused to accept his sons. The judge ruled that the school is subsidized by the Flemish Ministry of Education in Belgium, and therefore is committed to the laws of the state, by which it is prohibited to discriminate against children according to their gender, and therefore the school must admit boys as well.
Friedman himself claimed in an interview to the media, with the ruling, that he had no other choice. The school defended itself in court, claiming that according to the laws of the Torah one is not allowed to teach boys and girls together. It also claimed that is not prepared to teach boys, since it does not employ male teachers.
However, the judge gave to the school a week, during which it could explain why as a public school, it is demanding not to admit the boys to its ranks.
The affair began two years ago, when Moshe Aryeh Friedman, who lived until then in Vienna, Austria to Antwerp, moved to Belgium – where his father in law lives. Friedman was known as a "provocateur" and was one of the "Neturei Karta, who participated in the 'Holocaust deniers' conference' in Iran, where he also lived for several months.
While he moved to Belgium, Friedman announced that he will abandon 'Neturei Karta' and the ties he had with senior figures in Iran, and begin a new path. But Antwerp did not like the new tenant, and refused to accept his children to the schools of the kehilla.
For months the Friedman family's seven children stayed at home, while religious institutions refused to accept them. Friedman made a test, at the end of which he discovered that the school 'Bnos Yerushalayim' is a state school, a beneficiary of the authorities and is obligated to its laws. Consequently, the case went to court to receive his children.
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