Monday, September 22, 2008
9/22/2008 07:13:00 AM | 
Posted by
JoeSettler
On June 1, a Philosophy bogrut (matriculation exam) was given in the Beit Hannah-Chabad girls' school in Jerusalem, as it has been for decades.
A Ministry of Education proctor showed up to proctor the exam, as always.
But this time the proctor showed up very inappropriately dressed for a Chareidi school (apparently in pants and a tank-top).
The principal, Rabbi Asher Solomon welcomed the proctor into the school, but told her she can’t go into the girls classrooms dressed like that as they are a Chareidi school, and they are teaching their girls that a certain mode of dress is permitted and a certain mode isn’t.
Rabbi Solomon told the proctor that if she fixes her clothing she can go in, the proctor said there is nothing wrong with her clothing, and left.
In the decades that the bogruts have been given in this school, there have been almost no tests disqualified for cheating.
But the ministry (under Yuli Tamir guidance) in retaliation has disqualified all 243 exams that were given.
The only failing grades in this story go to the Ministry of Education and the Proctor.
By the way, this reminds me of the story a few years back of the girl who came for her driving test very minimally dressed. The Tester (not religious) refused to test her saying that her lack of clothing was very inappropriate (and as far as he was concerned, she came dressed that way to help her pass the test), and he wouldn’t test her until she put a shirt on. I believe it may have even gone to court. Either way, the girl had to take the test again, this time with clothing on.
A Ministry of Education proctor showed up to proctor the exam, as always.
But this time the proctor showed up very inappropriately dressed for a Chareidi school (apparently in pants and a tank-top).
The principal, Rabbi Asher Solomon welcomed the proctor into the school, but told her she can’t go into the girls classrooms dressed like that as they are a Chareidi school, and they are teaching their girls that a certain mode of dress is permitted and a certain mode isn’t.
Rabbi Solomon told the proctor that if she fixes her clothing she can go in, the proctor said there is nothing wrong with her clothing, and left.
In the decades that the bogruts have been given in this school, there have been almost no tests disqualified for cheating.
But the ministry (under Yuli Tamir guidance) in retaliation has disqualified all 243 exams that were given.
The only failing grades in this story go to the Ministry of Education and the Proctor.
By the way, this reminds me of the story a few years back of the girl who came for her driving test very minimally dressed. The Tester (not religious) refused to test her saying that her lack of clothing was very inappropriate (and as far as he was concerned, she came dressed that way to help her pass the test), and he wouldn’t test her until she put a shirt on. I believe it may have even gone to court. Either way, the girl had to take the test again, this time with clothing on.
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4 comments:
I know an instructor (male) at Bar Ilan University (a theoretically religious institution) who purposely keeps the classrooms freezing cold so that girls will cover up without him having to make comments that could be construed as inappropriate.
This country needs to define appropriate business dress. It's not religious coercion to expect a person to be fully and appropriately dressed in a business place or university.
To clarify, in terms of modesty, I think that pants, as long as they're not very tight, are fully modest on women. Rabbis may say that's not how a "Bat Yisrael" should dress, but I would hardly call Hillary Clinton's pants suits a call for inappropriate attention.
I heard that in the Knesset it is now forbidden to enter wearing jeans (which is why I don't go in anymore).
My friend, a teacher in a state religious school with mostly non-Orthodox parents made it very clear at the first PTA meeting, that he fully expects parents to come to the meetings dressed appropriately for an environment that teaches their children Torah and self-respect.
A few parents didn't catch on at first, but by the end of the year, the parents learned a lot about the quality of a religious education simply in terms of personal values and self-respect.
According to the article, the school was offered other proctors, but they refused.
I do agree with you however about the lack of a professional dress code.
I look at the people on the street and I often wonder what kind of mirror they have at home that makes them think that whatever they're wearing is stylish, appropriate for the public and flattering.
ps: It sounds unlikely that they were actually offered another proctor.
After all, there has probably been proctors there a number (if not all the) of times in the past 2 decades, and there wasn't a problem.
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