A controversial system allegedly used to catalog religious Jewish students by ethnicity in Jerusalem's educational institutions has prompted parliamentary scrutiny and legal action. The issue came to light during today's (Monday's) State Comptroller Committee hearing, where lawmakers examined claims of systematic discrimination against Sephardic girls in ultra-Orthodox seminaries.
A class action lawsuit filed last week against the Jerusalem Municipality revealed an Excel spreadsheet allegedly showing ethnic classification of students in the admission process. According to Attorney Yaakov Bitton, approximately 600 out of 3,200 students were classified after being denied admission to their preferred institutions.
"The lawsuit exposes systematic ethnic classification of students to Haredi seminaries," said Knesset Member Meir Cohen, who initiated the parliamentary discussion. "The non-acceptance of Mizrahi students continues in the 21st century in democratic Israel."
Jerusalem Municipality officials denied allegations of intentional discrimination. Yair Eiferman, head of the municipality's Haredi education department, stated that the employee involved in the classification system had been reprimanded, adding that the city "invests heavily in finding solutions for all students."
The Ministry of Education's representative, Chaim Halperin, maintained that while student placement is primarily a local authority responsibility, the ministry ensures fair placement and intervenes when procedures are violated.
The issue extends beyond Jerusalem, according to Yoav Lalum, CEO of No'ar Kahalacha, an organization addressing discrimination in religious education. "Ethnic discrimination exists in other authorities, and the state needs to take full responsibility to prevent the continuation of this phenomenon," Lalum said.
The committee hearing included testimony from affected families. One parent, Yael Cohen, described how her high-achieving daughter was left without placement and was only offered admission to a seminary on the condition that five additional students would be accepted alongside her. "Strengthening a seminary should be done through academic level and not through placement of strong students," Cohen argued.
Committee Chairman MK Mickey Levy emphasized the non-political nature of the investigation: "We have a responsibility to ensure that every student in Israel receives equal opportunities, regardless of their ethnic origin. This is a social injustice that must not be hidden."
The State Comptroller Committee postponed its vote on whether to launch a formal investigation until next week, following a request from Likud party members for additional time to study the issue.
The Ministry of Justice has requested clarifications from both the Ministry of Education and Jerusalem Municipality regarding the allegations.
Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.
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