Rabbinical Committee : 15,000 Charedi Jews petition the Government and the ‎Secretary of State for Education over attack on freedom of religion in proposed Schools Bill 2025

Mass Charedi protest scheduled today the 11th of February 2:00pm outside parliament whilst the bill is being presented back to parliament to report stage.

LONDON, Feb. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A petition signed by many thousands of members of the British orthodox Jewish ‎community, will be handed in to government leaders and the Department ‎for Education this Tuesday 11 February. The petition reflects the community's alarm over parts of ‎the proposed new Schools Bill – 2025, which seeks to transform religious Jewish ‎institutions and transform them into secular schools, wholly undermining the fundamental rights of ‎freedom of religion and parental choice in their children's education.‎

The cover letter accompanying the petition sent to the Secretary of ‎State for Education, is signed by the revered centenarian sage and Rabbinical leader, Rabbi Elyokim Schlesinger, President of ‎the (RCTCC) Rabbinical Committee for Traditional Charedi Chinuch ‎‎(education), who has been active in Jewish education for over 80 years.‎

Mr Levi Weiss of the RCTCC, declared:‎
‎" Since the ‎content and objectives of the proposed Schools Bill became known last ‎month, charedi (strictly-Orthodox) communities in the UK and around the world have been deeply alarmed. Special mass prayer gatherings have been held In London and Manchester (where there are large charedi populations) attended by many thousands."‎

Mr N. Friedman, an executive member of the RCTCC, said: ‎"The proposed Schools Bill ‎is the most oppressive authoritarian attack on our communities in the UK in living memory. Non-democratic means too being employed to pass this Bill, as Labour ‎MPs are been held back by the government from expressing the deep opposition and alarm of their constituents in Parliament, and are afraid of losing the party whip if they disobey.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is trying to brush aside charedi opposition to this Bill by ‎saying that she supports some Jewish schools, and that she has been speaking to ‎the charedim, but this petition flies in her face.  Here you have the main charedi voice united in opposition to the proposed changes to our education system.‎ In fact, the Education Secretary seems to be ignoring most important communications addressed to her by orthodox Jewish community leaders on this issue. Apparently they are not important to her, and she wants ‎to look into the matter after the Bill has been passed. ‎
Any negotiations over this Bill that include agreement to accepting changes to the way we educate our children, do not represent us, and will have no effect on our community and its educational system.

Charedi Jewish communities headed by many senior Rabbis, have ‎protested the Schools Bill publicly at a number of large gatherings and marches outside parliament. Another protest is ‎scheduled for this Tuesday 11 February, when the bill will be presented to parliament by the ‎Public Bill Committee before the report ‎stage and Third Reading.

For further information, contact:

Rabbinical Committee of the Traditional Charedi Chinuch,

RCTCC, Email: mail@rctcc.co.uk