FILE - A police officer patrols in a Jewish neighbourhood in north London, January 17, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
FILE – A police officer patrols in a Jewish neighbourhood in north London, January 17, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

 

United Kingdom – There are promised changes in store at the Satmar Beis Rochel boys’ school in north London after a whistleblower provided copies to The Independent of school worksheets which call non-Jews “evil goyim.”

A Beis Rochel spokesperson apologized for any upset, and said the worksheets would be modified, but denied allegations that the term “goyim” was insulting or that the lessons were meant to “indoctrinate” children. “The language we used was not in any way intended to cause offense. Now that this has been brought to our attention, we will endeavor to use more precise language in the future,” the unidentified representative said.

The documents, given to three-and-four year olds, also reveal that Kindergarten children are being taught about the Holocaust, where Nazis are referred to as goyim. The first question on the sheet states: “What have the evil goyim done with the synagogues and cheders?” The answer listed is “Burned them.” The next question reads, “What did the goyim want to do with all the Jews?” with the answer “Kill them.”
“It doesn’t explicitly refer to the Holocaust,” a source told The Independent. “It’s a document that teaches very young children to be very afraid and treat non-Jews very suspiciously because of what they did to us in the past. It’s not a history lesson – you can’t say that. It’s a parable that is actively teaching the children extremism, hatred and a fear for the outside world.”

Emily Green, a former teacher at the Beis Rochel girls’ secondary school and the current head of Gesher EU, an organization which helps ultra-Orthodox Jews leave their community, said, “It’s not uncommon to be taught non-Jewish people are evil in ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools. It’s part of the prayers, teaching, their whole ethos.”

Calling it a type of “indoctrination,” Green continued, “Psychologically, you become so afraid of the world out there after being taught how dangerous and bad and evil non-Jews are, that it makes it harder to leave.”

As reported by Vos Iz Neias