Religious Racism Redux

YNet has a story that updates a painful topic I posted about a few months ago - the discrimination against Sephardi students by Charedi schools in Israel. Apparently, despite the recent publicity the practice of Yeshivas and seminaries severely curtailing their acceptance of Sephardi students has received, the active discrimination has not abated. According to this story, a man was so distressed about his daughter's lack of placement in a seminary that his health was affected and he suffered a fatal heart attack:

Thus far, it sounds like another sad but familiar story of a forty-something man passing away before his time. However, the Haredi-Sephardic community in Jerusalem is convinced that the reason for his early death is a problem that plagues hundreds of the community's families.

"He ate his heart out that he couldn't get his daughter into the seminary of her choice," said one of Sofer's close friends. "In recent weeks, he was informed that his daughter could not study in the seminary that she desires. He kept saying that he couldn't handle it, that it would kill him – that's exactly how he expressed himself – that he couldn't bear his daughter receiving Torah instruction like the average girl."


Work colleagues said that, on the afternoon of his death, he spoke to them about the issue and appealed for their help: "I have no energy. You have to help ensure that my daughter gets into a good seminary."

While I would imagine that it would be hard to prove that this specific disappointment was the final cause of this man's death, I do not doubt that the stress of his daughter's rejection did not help matters. As the article goes on to point out, the problem of discrimination continues to plague the Sephardi Charedi community. As a lawyer who helps parents gain their children's admission states:

In Eitan's opinion, the reason Sephardic students are not accepted to the schools is a result of explicit racism. "Principals say clearly: 'we've filled the Sephardic quota'. This is open racism, they're not even trying to hide it, and it's one of the greatest injustices in the Haredi community," he says.

Whether or not this man's tragic death is determined to be a direct result of his daughter's denial of admission, this sad story of his resulting stress and disappointment in the weeks before his death will hopefully increase publicity for the plight of Sephardi students and the disgusting discrimination that continues to be perpetuated against them.

The YNet story of the young father's death is titled "Died of a Broken Heart". Whether or not that is the case, he certainly seems to have died with a broken heart.