In response to the UK’s proposal of a bill that they claim may threaten Jewish yeshivas and Torah education, thousands of Haredi Jews gathered for an Atzeres Tefillah (prayer gathering) in Stamford Hill, London, the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) said in a statement.
The bill in question, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, has passed its second reading in the House of Commons and has progressed to the Committee Stage. It seeks to ensure that all children who are home-schooled or taught outside a school setting are registered by local authorities.
Haredi campaigners have expressed fear that this would lead to state interference in yeshivas and force them to teach secular subjects or subscribe to the national curriculum, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
According to the JC, there are around 1,500 boys aged 13+ who learn in unregistered yeshivas in Stamford Hill, which are not legally classified as schools and, therefore, not subject to inspections by Ofsted.
The Yeshiva Liaison Committee (YLC), operating under the UOHC, has been the most outspoken voice of objection to the Bill. This includes a recent submission of five pages of evidence regarding the proposal to redefine yeshivas. While YLC acknowledges the Bill’s intention to increase child safeguarding, it takes issue with clauses 30-38, which would classify out-of-school-settings as Independent Educational Institutions.
“This would force fundamental changes in their curriculum and more, undermining the ability of Jewish parents to educate their children according to their faith and values.”
The prayer meeting was held in Yesodey Hatorah School hall, and was graced by the Vizhnitzer Rebbe himself.
“Yeshivas are not schools in the conventional sense; they are spaces dedicated to the spiritual and intellectual development of Jewish youth and operate alongside homeschooling,” said YLC Director Rabbi Yitzchok Moshe Kornbluh.
“The Government’s proposed legislation threatens to dismantle this centuries-old tradition and community, replacing parental and religious rights with secular state-imposed uniformity.”
Unfair impact on yeshivas
Recently, the British government’s European Convention on Human Rights Memorandum said that the Bill could “particularly prejudice” Orthodox Jewish parents and Yeshivas.
The memorandum said it may have particularly prejudicial effects on Orthodox Jewish parents and young men educated at yeshivas. “Although the new regulatory arrangements will bring institutions offering narrow educational provision on a full-time basis under regulatory control for the first time, those institutions which are likely to be predominantly affected are yeshivas.”
Reb Binyonim Stern of the UOHC said he was grateful for the support at the Atzeres Tefillah.
“The turnout was a resounding declaration of our community’s commitment to Torah learning,” he said.
“We will not stand idly by while our way of life is threatened. Our unity in tefillah and fasting reflects our deep resolve to protect our sacred heritage for generations to come.”
Jesus Christ is King
