Discrimination Against Sephardic Girls in Jerusalem: 440 Left Without a Seminary Placement
Over 440 Sephardic girls in Jerusalem remain without seminary placements, raising concerns of ethnic discrimination in admissions by local institutions.
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A wave of frustration is sweeping through Jerusalem’s Haredi community as over 440 Sephardic girls remain without a seminary placement for the upcoming school year. A letter sent to the Minister of Education, senior officials in the Jerusalem municipality, and the head of the Haredi education department details mounting evidence of ethnic discrimination in admissions.
According to the watchdog group The Movement for Quality Government, which sent the letter, the rejection of Sephardic girls by local seminaries stems from their ethnic origin - despite years of relative calm in this highly sensitive issue. The group is now demanding serious enforcement actions against the institutions involved.
The controversy reignited during the seminary placement process, amid political infighting between Shas and Degel HaTorah, two major Haredi factions. Shas is pushing to place students based on the decisions of its rabbis, while Degel claims jurisdiction over education under coalition agreements. The stalemate has left hundreds of girls in limbo.
Meanwhile in Beit Shemesh, tensions are also rising. Over 50 girls, mostly Sephardic, are still unplaced despite municipal guidelines requiring seminaries to accept minimum quotas. Some institutions claim they fulfilled their assigned quotas and now refuse to accept additional students. Others have been allegedly exempted from accepting any new placements—raising questions of fairness.
A senior figure familiar with the situation told Kikar HaShabbat, “There are newer seminaries with empty seats, but the city isn’t pressuring them. This crisis could be solved with better oversight.”
In a dramatic move, seminary heads in Beit Shemesh issued a joint letter vowing to fight placement mandates through legal means and the Ministry of Education.
With no resolution in sight, all eyes are now on Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg, formerly head of the Haredi education department in Jerusalem, who has extensive experience dealing with such issues. Will he be able to broker a solution?
A copy of the watchdog letter and the seminary principals' statement are now circulating among community leaders and city officials.