The first day of school got off to a rough start in Hadera after a rabbi and
three of his students vandalized school equipment to try and prevent it from
opening on the first day of class.
Police were called to the scene and
arrested the rabbi and his students. Police spokesman Ch.-Supt. Eran Shaked said
that the rabbi is from the Center of the country and he and students from his
yeshiva tried to disrupt the first day of class because of a dispute between him
and the Hadera Municipality over the school building.
Shaked said the
rabbi broke a sign at the entrance to the school and, along with his students,
physically blocked female students from entering the building.
Hadera
police who arrived at the scene arrested the rabbi and his three students, all
of whom are adults.
Other officers remained at the scene to ensure that
class would be held without any further interruptions by the rabbi’s
supporters.
According to Shaked, the dispute between the rabbi and the
Hadera Religious Council deals with the ownership of one of the buildings used
by the school. He added that, as of Monday morning, police were unsure whether
to keep the rabbi in custody or to release him pending a further investigation.