Video: Religious tensions simmer at Beit Shemesh school

Following violent threats, mayor and parents argue over whether new school will be for boys or girls.

By BENJAMIN SPIER
There is a growing tension between the haredi and national religious residents of Beit Shemesh and the newest battle ground for the dispute is a girls’ elementary school. The Orot school for girls will open the doors of its new building for the beginning of the school year on Thursday.
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However, parents and teachers of the national religious school say that violent threats and high tension confrontations with extremist neighbors have them fearing for the safety of their children.
The school lies on the border between national religious and haredi neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh. The city’s mayor says the school administration is ignoring a previous agreement to make it a school for boys, and not girls.