Israeli Preschool Ordered Closed After Segregating Ethiopian Children
Stock photo of two children playing in a preschool. Image by FatCamera/iStock
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli kindergarten was ordered closed after segregating students by race.
The children of Ethiopian descent in the southern town of Kiryat Gat met in an auxiliary room with a separate entrance, The Times of Israel reported.
They were spread out to kindergartens and day cares throughout the town, with transportation provided by the municipality.
Officials discovered the issue after a parent of Ethiopian descent posted on Facebook on the first day of school that she and her 3-year-old daughter were directed to a classroom of exclusively Ethiopian-Israeli children. She immediately left with her daughter and went to the municipal hall to complain.
“Because of the color of their skin they cannot mix with other children,” wrote the mother, Sefy Bililin. “My daughter is worth as much as anyone else.”
“She was born here,” the mother said, “and she is as good as anyone.”
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
