Dear friends,
I want to share with you this quote from Lila, who lives in Tel Aviv, regarding her 8-year-old son attending a school intended solely for children of asylum seekers: "He understands that although he was born and raised here like any Israeli child, he is unwanted here and does not belong, and I see that it bothers him. When we walk in the street sometimes and he points to something and asks me if it is ‘only for Israelis’ and if he is not allowed because he is from an African family…”
There are nearly 7,000 children of asylum seekers living in Tel Aviv-Yafo, and just like Lila's son, most were born in Israel. Of them, about 4,500 attend segregated kindergartens and schools where there are no students who are Israeli citizens.
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Yesterday, the Tel Aviv-Yafo District Court published its outrageous decision on our petition demanding an end to the policy and practice of racial segregation between children of asylum seekers and Israeli citizens in Tel Aviv-Yafo's schools.The Court chose to maintain the status quo while neglecting to address the dozens of kindergartens and four elementary schools intended exclusively for children of asylum seekers and foreigners, the vast majority of whom descend from African countries. Sixty eight years after the determination in Brown v. Board of Education that separate is not equal reverberated across the globe, the Tel Aviv District Court failed to address our central argument: separate educational institutions are illegal.
We will appeal to the High Court of Justice.
Kabhat Tesgargawi, mother of three, a one and a half-year-old, six- and eight-year olds:
“When they were in separate city kindergartens they felt very bad, they asked ‘why are we apart? Why not mix us up?’ They felt less than and not equal […]
"Letamskal, mother of three—ages 7, 8, and 11:"It hurts my heart to see the effect of separation on my children. They talk about being born in Israel and not understanding the meaning of the separation between them and white children, children who have citizenship [...] Some time ago, people came to the entrance to the school where my children study and sprayed pepper spray there. I think segregation really endangers our children, making them an easy target for racist aggression.”
We break down the implications of segregation on our Instagram page, from the harm caused to the children's developmental and academic progress to its role in perpetuating and fostering racism and inequality in Israeli society.
We are committed to removing this stain on Israeli society and on the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo. No child that is born and raised here should feel rejected, ostracized, or discriminated against. Will you join us in this fight all the way to the High Court of Justice?
With gratitude,
Noa Sattath
Executive Director