Betar Illit Girls High School Crisis: Chabad Rabbonim Issue Strong Letter Against Mayor
The ongoing controversy surrounding the Chabad Girls’ High School in Betar Illit has escalated, after Mayor Meir Rubinstein decided to relocate the school to a new building that Chabad leaders say is entirely unsuitable for its educational approach • Full Story
In a strongly worded public letter released Friday afternoon, the Rabbonim of the local Chabad community, led by the city’s mara d’asra Rabbi Asher Lemel Cohen, together with Rabbi Chaim Shalom Deitsch, Rosh Kollel Tzemach Tzedek in Jerusalem, published their daas Torah on the matter.
“The location proposed for the Chabad Girls’ High School in Betar is in no way appropriate for a school for girls,” the rabbonim wrote, warning that the primary danger is spiritual, since the building stands adjacent to several boys’ yeshivos.
The saga has dragged on for nearly a month. The Chabad high school, with some 150 students, was asked by the municipality to vacate its current premises to make way for boys’ yeshivos. The only alternative building offered, however, is directly beside a cluster of boys’ institutions — a setup that parents and school leaders insist is unacceptable.
Despite repeated pleas from parents and the school administration, City Hall has yet to respond. The rabbonim stressed in their letter that “the school must, without question, be placed in a proper facility — in accordance with Torah and the rulings of Shulchan Aruch.”
The Chabad community has established a special “Vaad HaPoel” to deal with the crisis, but after several meetings with the mayor and his representatives, no progress has been made. Community leaders note with frustration that despite Chabad’s consistent support of the mayor in elections over the years, the city has thus far ignored their requests and letters on this critical issue.
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