Arutz-7 News, 22 Nov 1998

7. PRINCIPAL EXPELS STUDENT FOR "ILLEGAL" OPINION
The Education Ministry is at this hour preparing a statement about the
latest school controversy to make headlines.  Arutz-7's Adir Zik reported
on Friday that Yaakov Levy, a public high school principal in Ashdod,
recently expelled a ninth-grade student for saying that she had no respect
for Yitzchak Rabin. 

The student, Sophie, told Arutz-7 today that she had originally
been suspended for two days, and when she refused to retract her
remarks, she was thrown out altogether.  She said that after eleven days of
sitting at home, she finally agreed to write a letter of apology, and was
taken back by the school.  She said today, however, that she wrote the
letter only in order to return to school.  Principal Yaakov Levy, when
asked by an Israel Radio interviewer why he had expelled the student, said,
"Are the opinions that she expressed acceptable?  I feel that those
opinions are illegal...  Do you realize that her father has become
newly-observant [of Jewish law]?!"


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Arutz-7 News, 23/11/98.

2. EDUCATION MINISTRY TAKES DIM VIEW
Education Ministry Director-General Ben Tzion Del hinted today that the
actions of a school principal in Ashdod, who expelled a student for saying
that she does not respect Yitzchak Rabin, are most severe.  He did not say,
however, what action, if any, he would take against the principal,
explaining that it would not be fair to do so before meeting with him.  It
was reported here yesterday that the principal threw the ninth-grade
student out of school for almost two weeks, until she finally agreed to
write a letter of apology for her remarks.  Del will meet with the
principal, together with the director of the southern region of the
Education Ministry and the superintendent of the school, within a few days.  

The principal, explaining himself on Israel Radio yesterday, said, "Is this
an acceptable opinion?  After all, Yigal Amir [convicted-assassin of
Yitzchak Rabin] had the same opinion...  Are you aware that [the student's]
father has become newly-religious?"  He also implied that there are
domestic problems at home.  Del told Arutz-7, "We will not form an opinion
based on words uttered by a man inexperienced in giving radio interviews.
If the reports are correct, however, I view this with more than great
severity, and I am saying this gently."   

Del did not agree that this occurrence is symptomatic of an attitude
prevalent since the Rabin assassination:  "On the contrary, the very fact
that this case has gotten so much publicity shows that this is the
exception rather than the rule."  Arutz-7's Haggai Segal cited another
report of a student who walked out on a ceremony honoring Rabin who was
told by a teacher that "it's because of people like you that the Prime
Minister was killed."  Del responded that he was unaware of the incident,
and added: "We treat these kind of cases with utmost seriousness.  A choice
not to publicize them doesn't fairly indicate how we handle such cases." 
  
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