The ongoing tension between parents from the nationalist-religious and ultra-Orthodox persuasions in Ramat Beit Shemesh erupted Monday into a full-scale brawl when the nationalist-religious parents approached a school that was taken over by the ultra-Orthodox community there. Ultra-Orthodox men arrived at the Orot Neria state-religious school early Monday morning to express their opposition to its opening their enrollment to girls this year. When the nationalist-religious community in Ramat Beit Shemesh heard about the incident, about 100 parents showed up at the school in an attempt to drive away the trespassers. A physical clash then broke out between the two groups, and police were called to the scene to break up the fight and remove the ultra-Orthodox parents from the school. Tensions have been running high between the two groups of parents for the past two years, stemming from the decision to relocate the girls' school from an area mostly inhabited by nationalist-religious residents, to an area bordering an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Ramat Beit Shemesh. One of the points over which the two groups have clashed is which children will be admitted to the school. Nationalist-religious parents want their daughters to attend the elementary school and claim that the Education Ministry promised them this would happen. The Ultra-Orthodox parents, however, object to having the school located in their neighborhood, claiming that, if the school accepts girls, it will not meet their standards of modesty. Ultra-Orthodox parents claimed this was a problem also because the Beit Shemesh Municipality agreed to having an all-boys yeshiva at the same location. An Education Ministry statement on the matter said, "The Orot Neria school will open this school year just like other schools in the government educational system. The Education Ministry has approved opening the school in its new building." Tempers flared recently after ultra-Orthodox Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul sent a letter to the town's Parents' Association, in which he informed them that ultra-Orthodox extremists are threatening to harm the school and its students if the school opened. Abutbul went on to say in the letter that due to the threats he decided not to open the school this year. A statement released by the Beit Shemesh Municipality further conveyed the complex situation regarding the school in Ramat Beit Shemesh. "The school is located in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. The residents of that neighborhood claim the building belongs to them. The mayor wants the building to be used as a national-religious boys-only school, but the nationalist-religious community is not being flexible, and insists on using the building as a school for girls."
