openminded chareidi girls high school

lilacdreams

Fri, Jun 17 2011, 6:01 am

Mirchrude wrote:

op here. Has anyone heard of the school "beit Bina" in yerushalaim? Any info abt it?

regular by school for yerushalayim - lot of english speakers. not much different from kook. unless your dd is outstanding in her ziyonim or other characteristic you will need some pull to get in (like most schools). We didnt even get an interview even though we applied. I have several friends who send their dd's there and are very happy. At the time I wasnt sad we didnt get an interview because the building they were in was disgusting - but then the next year they moved to a nicer building....

amother

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 5:59 pm

Hi, I'm looking for a Beis Yaakov high school for my eighth grader. We've been living outside of the mercaz so we're not very familiar with these schools. We are willing to move. My daughter is comfortable with a charedi school, but I'm more modern. What would we have to do to get in? I see that there are many in Jerusalem - is that the best place for kids to be or are there many potential outside influences? Thanks for any information at this point.

ChossidMom

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 2:00 am

I know that Afikei Da'at in Jerusalem is more "open". I see alot of tighter clothes and shorter skirts there.

There is a very modern school in Bet Shemesh called Pninat Something or other and I can find out more if you're interested. Also, much more lax with the takanon than your standard Bais Ya'akov. Nail polish is allowed (if that is any indication to you). Including colors like blue.

Frankly, I would sooner put a daughter in a strong Dati Leumi school than a more modern Charedi school. Know what I mean? The challenges today are tough.

BTW does your daughter own an iphone or do you plan on getting her one? That is taboo in most Charedi girls' schools.

amother

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 5:56 am

Thank you for responding. My daughter is very comfortable with dressing modestly, BH. She is not into flashy, tight clothes or blue nails. She doesn't have a smartphone- often uses my Kosherphone now that I have a smartphone. We visited Peninei Chen and she loved it because it was warm and was filled with Anglos. I liked that she could learn a full bagrut and that the takanon is not too shticky not because she wouldn't comply but because that's not what I want to teach her is the ikkur of leading a religious Jewish life. Where else should we be looking?

amother

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 6:19 am

Try the BY high schools in Rechovot or Petach Tikva. Probably Haifa too. Because they serve the entire community, they will take a wide range of hashkafos and your daughter will find her place. They also all offer full Bagrut I think (call to make sure). They are strict on dress codes but they are the only schools for everyone so aren't so exclusive. The thing is, maybe you need to live there first to get in.

5*Mom

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 6:32 am

amother wrote:

About the takanon, you should ask the hanhala what their plans are moving ahead. Because our understanding is that the school is planning to move further to the right in stages over the upcoming years, and that includes a more rigid takanon. That may be just what you're looking for, or not. But because the school is relatively young, what it is now may not be what they are planning for it to become, so you should think and ask ahead.

Ruchel

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 7:20 am

DrMom wrote:

I can't really help, but I am wondering:

What does "open-minded charedi school" mean exactly? What exactly are they open-minded about? The curriculum? The dress code? The parents' lifestyles?

Yes. More yeshivish like in chul than Israeli charedi.

And indeed schools can definitely shift one way or another, esp young schools

amother

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 7:56 am

amother wrote:

Watch out. The principal is great but there are some seriously messed up girls there. Think boys, unfiltered internet and maybe worse. I will not go into detail but please be very careful.

Isramom8

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 8:29 am

B"H we now have a girls' high school in Raanana. It's the continuation of Chorev elementary school here. The high school is run as a Bet Yaakov and is geared especially for girls who grew up in a mixed environment like our city. My daughter is in 9th grade. She is happy because she didn't want a more modern school, nor a less modern one.

There are BY rules but they listen to the girls. For example, they just allowed backpacks instead of side shoulder bags because the side bags were heavy for the students to lug around.

The uniform blouses are really nice and almost fashionable.

They don't forbid sleepovers, etc. They suggest that gathering in large groups at a pizza shop isn't appropriate, but they don't forbid it.

You as the mother can be modern, as long as you don't interfere with the rules your daughter would be told to adhere to.

About half the girls are from other cities.

This year there is a 9th and 10th grade. A grade is added every year. This year there are about 30 girls in the whole school. They plan on full bagrut.

sara_s

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 10:37 am

I would check out Dupark, which one poster here is getting very French, but may still be worth looking into further. They used to have a lot of English speakers, and in general families where the father works and they value academics. They do full bagruts there and are quite academically oriented, so more open minded than standard Israeli chareidim. I don't know how much support there is for olim there these days.

For everyone scaring you by "in that school they talk to boys", in even the most BY places there are "scandals" about girls talking to boys. Please make sure to find a school that it a good fit and don't get scared into sending to too right wing a school for her background/personality.

Other places that are known as more open minded in Jerusalem are Beit Shulamit and Peninat Hachinuch.

sara_s

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 10:41 am

amother wrote:

In my day girls commuted from RBS to Bais Yaacov Rechovot. Because it's a nice"Out of Town" Bais Yaacov. There are often a few English speakers in the class from the local Chatam community. But still may be too Israeli for someone arriving from abroad. Jerusalem schools will usually have a higher percentage of Anglos.

sunny90

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 1:33 pm

amother wrote:

Watch out. The principal is great but there are some seriously messed up girls there. Think boys, unfiltered internet and maybe worse. I will not go into detail but please be very careful.

Ahem. I was in Ko Tomar after it had started going down the extreme BY path and I had friends with boyfriends. And most of my class had unfiltered internet. Yes we are all still frum today despite the pressure we were under religious-wise from the school. No schools are immune, and I think that half the battle parents are fighting are the schools nitpicking at all the things that are not the ikkar of frumkeit.
I know many nice girls who are in Pninei Chen. I'm sure there are troublemakers too, because what school doesn't have them?

ChossidMom

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 2:05 pm

sunny90 wrote:

amother wrote:

Watch out. The principal is great but there are some seriously messed up girls there. Think boys, unfiltered internet and maybe worse. I will not go into detail but please be very careful.

Most of your class had unfiltered internet? Wow! I'm speechless. Seriously.
I'm not into nitpicking at all and I'm all for putting the emphasis on the really important things but I think that unfiltered internet definitely classifies as one of the important things.
In any event, a parent really has to know where they are sending their child nowadays. Lives can be ruined. Maybe you think I'm being melodramatic. That's fine.

Isramom8

Thu, Dec 12 2013, 2:43 pm

I could be off base. But from what I understand, Ko Tomar is a school where the policies don't match what's actually happening with the girls.

Tichon Chorev in Raanana, in contrast, is basically an Israeli BY, but relaxes the strict tone (a bit) because the staff understands the kind of girl who grew up in a mixed city.