Education Ministry closes part of West Bank yeshiva

Religious school connected to Od Yosef Hai Yeshiva closed because students believed to be involved in violent attacks against Palestinians.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
yitzhar 1900 (photo credit: Courtesy)
yitzhar 1900
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Education Ministry on Tuesday closed the religious high school that is connected to the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, because it suspected that its students were involved in violent attacks against Palestinians.
On Monday police raided the school looking for a suspect, but were not able to locate him.
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The adult section of the yeshiva, can continue to operate, but the high school, known as Dorshi Yechudha, can no longer service the 100 pupils who study there.
The school’s attorney Yitzhak Bam said the ministry’s decision was an act “of collective punishment” against the “price tag” attacks.
He said the school’s closure was based on secret information, that was not shared with the school, so there was no opportunity to confront it.
He added that the school did not promote violence.
One of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva heads, Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, was also investigated by police for his book Torat Hamelech (The King’s Torah), which said that Jews can behave violently toward non-Jews during war time.


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