Shas put out a letter thanking Gafni, thanking him for stressing the need for Shas to remain strong and independent, as no other party properly represents the Sephardic public.
(photo credit: FLASH90/CHAIM GOLDBERG)
Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism has been accused of racism after he called on Shas to establish new schools tailored to the Sephardi public, citing overcrowding in existing institutions, when speaking at the opening of the Beit Yaakov Derech Emunah school in Ramat Beit Shemesh on Monday.
“I know there are problems with high schools in the city, and therefore I call from this honorable stage to the leaders of Shas: open new educational institutions appropriate and worthy of a quality public, so your daughters will have a place to study peacefully and with comfort, without having to crowd into our institutions, which are growing and for which there is no longer enough room to accommodate everyone,” Gafni said.
Shas issued a written response later that day, framing Gafni’s comments as an endorsement of the party’s long-standing role in the Sephardi community.
“The life mission of the Shas movement is to establish outstanding educational institutions for the Sephardic public, and it has been doing so with great success for decades across the country. Kudos to Rabbi Moshe Gafni, who clarified just how important it is that the Shas movement continue to be strong and independent, and how much the Sephardic public cannot rely on any other party to look out for them,” the statement said.
In response to Gafni’s statements, Education Mininster Yoav Kisch said, “There will be no discrimination in the education system based on origin! The vast majority of seminaries in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh are refusing the placements and are acting illegally.”
“This disgraceful and racist discrimination will end either with hearings, budget cuts, and proceedings to shut down the institutions, or with the acceptance of the girls into the schools in accordance with the Education Ministry’s regulations,” he concluded.
Gafni’s words triggered a wider discussion during an appearance by Shas spokesperson Asher Medina and attorney Yoav Laloum in the studio.
The need for Shas is still clear even in 2025
“This part is nothing short of amazing. We’re in 2025,” said Medina. “After taking a moment to recover from what was said, we say to him: ‘Thank you very much,’ thank you for proving once again that racism exists. Shas continues to work.”
He added that while challenges remain, the situation in boys’ schools has improved.
“There is no doubt that this problem exists in the haredi public. In yeshivot, there’s no problem today,” Medina said.
Laloum, a longtime advocate for equitable education in the ultra-Orthodox sector, criticized Shas’s role, claiming the party has hindered progress rather than supporting it.
“These institutions are state-funded. From 2006 until today, Shas has only interfered. It doesn’t help. Don’t let the Shas spokesperson confuse us. Shas doesn’t help; it causes harm,” he said. “Let’s ask: Where do Asher Medina’s kids go to school? Where do the children of Shas MKs study? Where do Aryeh Deri’s children and grandchildren go to school? Why is Deri insisting that his grandchildren study in Ashkenazi institutions?”
In response, Medina defended the party’s record and said the issue is primarily concentrated in a few cities.
“The ones who established Sephardic institutions in Israel that was Shas. I hear the pain. Deri was in Ofakim and Kiryat Gat today for the opening of Sephardic institutions in the network that houses 99 percent of the haredi population in the country,” he said. “This problem exists mainly in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, because there were elitist institutions that had a monopoly, and the haredi public, including the children of public officials, wanted to be accepted to the best institutions, because there was nothing else.”
Medina was also asked why Shas had exited the government over the issue of military conscription but not over ethnic discrimination in education. A recent poll by Kikar HaShabbat was cited, showing public dissatisfaction with how Shas has handled the matter.
“At the end of the day, most MKs send their children to excellent Sephardic institutions,” he said. “A Sephardi who wants to send his children to Ashkenazi institutions, I won’t tell him no.”
He added, “We’re addressing it. Do you know how much the problem has diminished? We’re working on it. We’re active. My son studies in an Ashkenazi institution, in an Ashkenazi yeshiva, because he studied in a school where all his friends went to that same yeshiva.”
As of publication time, no further official comment had been issued by either Shas or Gafni.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post