Degel Hatorah’s Moshe Gafni called on Shas to establish new girls’ schools in Beit Shemesh, citing overcrowding, but his remarks drew a fiery response from Shas over implied exclusion of Sephardi students.
A fresh dispute erupted in Beit Shemesh’s ultra-Orthodox education system Monday, as Degel Hatorah Chairman MK Moshe Gafni urged Shas leaders to open new schools for girls, citing severe overcrowding in Degel Hatorah institutions.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Derech Emuna school, Gafni acknowledged the city’s educational strain but suggested that Sephardi students were crowding out places in Degel Hatorah schools. “Our institutions cannot accommodate everyone,” he said. “Your girls deserve spacious, quality schools—without crowding into ours.”
Gafni stressed that while Degel Hatorah’s network is expanding rapidly, it lacks the physical space to absorb all applicants, implying the need for Shas to shoulder more responsibility for its community’s students.
Shas fired back with a sharp retort, framing Gafni’s words as proof of why Sephardi families cannot depend on Ashkenazi parties. In a statement, the party declared: “Shas’ mission in life is to establish excellent educational institutions for the Sephardi public, and it has been doing so for decades across the country. Kudos to Rabbi Moshe Gafni for reminding everyone how essential Shas is—and why the Sephardi public must rely on itself.”
The exchange exposes long-standing tensions between Ashkenazi and Sephardi factions in Israel’s Haredi political world, with Beit Shemesh once again serving as a flashpoint for issues of identity, representation, and equality in education.
