Russian Panthers against Racism in Israeli Schools
Michael Dorfman
"THEY SUFFOCATED MY DAUGHTER!"
On 25th January, “N”, a schoolgirl from the Nitsanim Elementary School in Beersheba, a town in the south of Israel, was rushed to the hospital. A classmate had attempted to suffocate her with a cord in the school’s playground. Fortunately for the girl, a school watchman noticed the incident and immediately called for medical aid. Irina, the mother of the girl, immediately had her daughter transferred to another school and has filed a complaint with the Juvenile Division of the Beersheban Police Department. The school’s principal was quoted as saying: "The incident is closed, it was unnecessary for the girl to be hospitalized."
The mother of the child states, however, that since the first day at school, the girl has been exposed to physical violence. One month ago, someone threw stones at her. There was an instance when the girl was beaten and was thrown on the ground. As a result of that beating, the girl had extensive inflammation and bruising on the right side of her body. Her mother displayed a photograph of the scars, which have formed on the girl’s neck. Irina also describes other cases of verbal abuse and violence endured by other children living in the neighborhood. However, the school’s principal could only state, that " hospitalization " was not necessary for the young victim.
Irina N, the mother of the girl also stated: " I do not want to sit in judgment, but the verbal abuse and violence in the first grade seems to occur as a result of an enmity to the immigrant community. At the elementary school violence reigns unabated. But for some reason, in all cases, the victims are Russian children! "
This case reminds us of another recent event, which shocked our nation last year. In April 2000, 11-year old Vika Marimovskaya died under tragic circumstances. The officials have determined, that the causes of the tragedy were due to " difficulties in acclamation " to life in Israel. There are amazing similarities in these two (2) case histories. Vika, as was “N”, was also almost strangled on a school playground, she was persecuted, and verbally abused by her schoolmates. The school’s directors have refused to acknowledge that there was a problem. But there is a difference in the actions taken by the mothers of these young girls, mothers who were only trying to protect their children. Vika’s mother, Vera Marimovskaya, had gone in search of protection from various Russian leaders and politicians. She wasted precious time. Months of waiting for appointments with Beersheban Mayor Jakov Terner, his assistants Moshe Boruhova and Andrй Uzana, asking for aid and assistance for the emigrants. However, she did not have either the experience, nor the means or the power to attain a resolution to such complex and difficult problems. And as a result she tragically lost her daughter. Vera Marimovskaya lived in the same neighborhood as Irina N and they were acquainted with each other.
Irina, the mother of “N” stated: " The unfortunate Vera, kept repeating, that head of the government, Ehud Barrack, knows about my late daughter, the mayor of city - knows, his assistants - know. But Vera died, not having received the awaited and promised help ".
It is very likely fortunate that Irina had not heard about the various offices offering aid and assistance to emigrants. She called the Russian newspapers and appealed to the trade unions. Elena Goldberg contacted Irina N. and then immediately submitted the case to the LA MERHAV Association. Within days, the press had published the story, thus precluding local officials from hushing up the incident. But credit for the story remaining in the open is not with the press, but in the courage of the victim’s mother. The mother of this young girl has shown an enviable civic courage. She has taken her case to the police. On the first day, she collided with local bureaucracy, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to attempt to defend legitimate civil rights. The complaint was not accepted, the mother was asked to bring in photographs of the injuries, to produce her daughter, and finally she was sent to file a complaint at the Ministry of Public Education (?)... Eventually, Irina ended up at the Juvenile Division of the Police Department.
The next day, (and only after the police department was contacted by the army radio station " Galei Tsahal ", from the southern corps " Yedeot Akhronot” and by the newspaper "Kol a-Negev") the police finally asked Irina if she was the same person about whom the newspapers were inquiring. When she confirmed her identity, a complaint was immediately issued without further delay. Irina was the referred to the Municipal Department of School Registrations. In spite of a local strike, the Chief of the Department, Aaron Chali, immediately transferred the young girl into a religious school located in the neighborhood. The fast and decisive actions of the mother have saved her daughter. A confused but smiling child appeared before Susan Peazza, a journalist from the Swiss National Broadcasting Company -Lugano and Marina Ostrovskoj from the Russian service of the BBC, instead of one more school tragedy with which Beersheba is rife.
Gil Levenson, a correspondent on affairs of education in the south for the newspaper "Yediot Akhronot " stated: “We write much about the atmosphere of violence in our schools, but officials always declare, that the problem is nothing more than innocent children's games. Here for the first we can show the public an actual case of severe violence in an elementary school ".
Olga Filaretova, the chairman of the " LA MERHAV Association - Projects in Education and Community " stated: " We have managed to avoid a tragedy. It is terrible even to think, what could have taken occurred, if this young girl’s case would fallen into the hands to the various incompetent officials specializing in aid to the “alia” (slang word referring to immigrants) or into the hands of the deputy-mayor of Educational Affairs, who continues to refuse to recognize the presence of a problem of violence in the schools."