Winter is here and the 170 children in the Bnei Avreichim Sephardi Talmid Torah in the N’vei Yaakov neighborhood of the capital are really feeling it. They are in classrooms without electricity or head. Why you ask, this depends on whom one speak to.

The neighborhood in question, in the northern capital, continues to become more chareidi, attracting both Ashkenazim and Sephardim. In this case, instead of Sephardim pleading to have their son accepted to an Ashkenazi cheider, the avreichim established the Bnei Avreichim cheider for the little ones from Sephardi homes.

The talmid torah began seven years ago, in the living room of Rabbi Mordechai Tamim, with four children, and little by little it has grown and they began renting apartments to use them as classrooms until the principal asked for a building for his over 100 students to enable them to learn in acceptable conditions.

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Tzvika Cohen (Shas), who hold the Chareidi Education portfolio, visited N’vei Yaakov to see for himself. He got a firsthand look at the difficult conditions in the talmid torah and the need for a building. He allocated eight classrooms from a city building being used for a girl’s school, which has since relocated to its new building.

The building used by the talmid torah is divided into three, some classrooms still used by the girl’s school, the talmid torah, and Talmid Torah Kehillas Kaminetz.

170 talmidim entered the classrooms with the start of the current school year and they immediately realized there was no electricity. They basically have been learning in the dark for the past months but now winter is rapidly moving in and conditions are getting increasingly difficult, if not posing a health hazard to the children as the temperatures drop.

It is added that Shas party leader Minister Aryeh Deri visited the building last month, promising to take care of the issue of the electricity. The question being asked now is how is it that the others have electricity to the exclusion of the 170 children of the Bnei Avreichim Sephardi Talmid Torah?

The talmid torah blames its neighbors from the Kehillas Kaminetz Talmid Torah for intentionally cutting them off towards ousting them from the building. They claim that the talmid torah wants some of their classrooms and they want the community to be “Anash”, just Ashkenazim, hoping to rid themselves of the Bnei Avreichim Talmid Torah.

The Sephardim explain the Ashkenazim will not permit them access to the electric controls until they turn over some of the classrooms to them (Kehillas Kaminetz). It is added they had a separate meter to pay their own way but have been cut off. It is also added that an electrician was brought in and told them “It should be clear to you this is simply because you are Sephardim”.

The Kaminetz version explains it is a registered private NGO and is responsible for paying its own electricity without funding from other sources. Officials explain Bnei Avreichim was hooked up but was “stealing electricity”, leaving Kaminetz with the bill. It is added the entire hookup was illegal, cutting a 100-ampere line without authorization to tap into the electricity paid for by Kaminetz. All allegations of Kaminetz acting out of racial motives is baseless, adding they davka want the Sephardim to continue in the community despite their statements to the contrary.

The statements and accusations and counter-accusations continue. For now, the 170 talmidim are without electricity and time will tell who or what agency steps in to provide a solution if any.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)