The mother cried out: "She gave birth at home for six months" - and the Spanish MKs were embarrassed • Watch

January 20, 2025   

The State Audit Committee, headed by MK Mickey Levy, held a discussion today (Monday) on the ethnic discrimination in the admission of girls to Haredi seminaries in Jerusalem - as emerged from the request for approval of the class action lawsuit filed by 'Noar Kahalaka' headed by Attorney Yoav Lalom. MK Meir Cohen, the initiator of the discussion, expressed severe criticism of the findings that were revealed: "The lawsuit reveals an Excel file from the Jerusalem Municipality, which shows how systematic ethnic classification of female students to Haredi seminaries is carried out. This is a social injustice that we must act with all our might to eradicate. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the failure to admit Mizrahi students continues in the 21st century in the democratic State of Israel." The chairman of the committee, MK Mickey Levy, said: "This discussion was born out of the need to examine in depth the claims of discrimination that have been published. We have a responsibility to ensure that every female student in Israel receives equal opportunities, regardless of her ethnic origin. The request is not related to politics. This House must not tolerate sectarian discrimination in educational institutions - this is a social injustice that must not be hidden." Yael Cohen, the mother of a daughter who was not accepted and who claims sectarian discrimination, cried out in front of the Knesset members with all her heart and rebuked the Haredi MKs: "We will see you with a child at home for six months without a seminary." She said, with pain and anger: "Every Sephardi mother knows that when she reaches the ninth grade, her child will start at home. If after the holidays she is at home, it is doubtful, she is lucky or someone in Shas. We will see you with a child at home for six months, locked in a room, ashamed to talk to people because she does not know that she has 30 other friends at home, none of whom knows that the other one is at home." However, while the opposition members demanded a vote on requesting an opinion from the State Comptroller to investigate discrimination against Sephardim in Haredi seminaries and in Haredi cities - Torah Judaism and Shas opposed, and Sephardi MKs from the Likud were left confused. Knesset members Simeon Moshiashvili of Shas and MK Eliyahu Baruchi of United Torah Judaism also hurriedly arrived at the committee hall. Finally, the committee postponed the vote on the resolution until next week, due to the request of the Sephardic MKs from the Likud - Revivo, Saada and Shekim - to study the issue and vote according to their conscience. The chairman of the committee, MK Mickey Levy, warned the Knesset members that if the committee thwarted an investigation by the State Comptroller on suspicion of racial discrimination, then the Knesset itself would be considered racist. As mentioned, it was ultimately decided, at the request of the MKs from the Likud, to postpone the vote for a week in order to formulate agreements that would allow the investigation.