Fifty strictly Orthodox rabbis in North-West London have issued a directive prohibiting local Jewish secondary schools from opening for the new term next month until places have been found for boys currently without them.
But the proprietor and chairman of governors of one school have responded by resigning, saying they were handing over its administration to the rabbinate.
The rabbis, who include several dayanim from the Federation Beth Din and the London Beth Din, told six independent Charedi secondary boys’ schools in the area that they had to provide places for more than 20 boys who did not have one for next term.
In a letter in both Hebrew and English, the rabbis expressed their disappointment “with a heavy heart” and said schools had a joint chiyuv – obligation – to offer places.
“Nor may any school, group or individuals, run any separate programmes for their Year 7 cohort or group of boys,” the rabbis added.
However, in a letter in Hebrew seen by the JC, leaders of one school, Beis Medrash Elyon in Hendon, have put the ball back in the rabbis’ court.
The proprietor Akiva Adler, the chairman of governors Yoel Jacobs and another leader, Bezalel Landau, responded: “To our great regret, we have reached a situation in which we are no longer able to bear the heavy burden placed upon us.
“Beis Medrash Elyon, which carries responsibility for the education of our precious children, is one of the most financially strained institutions in the city. Nevertheless, more and more students who require a suitable framework continue to be referred to us, while the resources needed to serve them simply do not exist.”
They added: “In our city live some of the wealthiest individuals in England, who have the capacity to place Torah and educational institutions on a firm and stable footing. In practice, however, many institutions – including Beis Medrash Elyon – struggle day by day for their very existence.”
After much deliberation, they said: “We hereby announce our resignation from the administration of Beis Medrash Elyon. We are handing over the keys of the institution to the rabbis of the city, recognising that responsibility for the future of the institution and the future of its students now rests upon their shoulders.”
According to the government’s information site on schools, Elyon, which teaches boys from 11 to 16, has 109 students on its roll – nine more than its stated capacity.
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