Police called to break gate open; families at co-ed religious Zionist school, located adjacent to a Haredi educational institution, say incident is latest in pattern of neglect and disruption by city
Children at an elementary school in Bnei Brak arrived Monday morning to find the gates welded shut, leading parents to accuse the largely Haredi city’s leadership of discriminating against the religious Zionist educational institution in which boys and girls study together.
The Bnei Brak municipality has blamed an “extremist neighbor” for welding the gate and asserted that a back entrance was still open in the morning. But parents at Afikim School, as well as a teacher, told Hebrew media that the school was completely inaccessible. Police were called to break open the gate.
Parents said Monday’s incident was just the latest instance of neglect and disruption at the school since it was damaged in an Iranian missle attack last year.
Afikim serves some 200 students, including some in special education.
