Not So Smooth Start to Academic Year for Chabad Girls’ Schools

For the past few weeks, a quiet argument has been raging over the status of Chabad high schools, which educate thousands of Chabad girl students around Israel.

The situation worsened when a decision was made not to open the high schools at the beginning of the new academic year. After much effort, Agudas Chassidei Chabad managed to get certain new resolutions put on hold and the schools will open on time.

Rabbi Shai Cherbinsky, vice director of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, afterwards wrote a letter describing the problems. Here is a summary of the main points:

The supervisor of the subject of the Oral Torah, as taught in state religious schools (among which Chabad is included) changed the course of study that has been followed in Chabad schools for the past 40 years. What his decisions meant was that the study of dinim, which is a compulsory subject for Chabad girls was withdrawn, Tanya was disqualified from the bagrut syllabus, and inappropriate material was included in studies on “family and personal life.” All of this made it impossible for the Chabad schools to function as normal.

However, following much effort and negotiation, the state religious system has agreed to exempt Chabad schools from the new resolutions as this would harm the Chabad character and lifestyle of the schools and their students.

As the head of Agudas Chassidei Chabad Rabbi Ahronov pointed out, the Chabad character of the schools has been preserved. 
(SOURCE & PHOTO: COL.ORG.IL)