Rabbi Moshe Milstein, international executive vice-president of Ozar Hatorah (Love of Torah), said today he has received reports from the Ozar Hatorah staff in Iran that its schools there have been open for a total of 30 school days since the beginning of this semester last September which included the period of the recent disturbances. The Iranian school year consists of 130 school days compared to 180 days in the United States.
According to the reports, disturbances were monitored daily and when it was determined that school attendance would interfere with safety, the programs were suspended. But even during those periods the educational process for students attending the Ozar Hatorah schools continued in local synagogues with the help of the schools’ staffs. There were periods, the report noted, when the Ozar Hatorah school system was the only functioning educational facility in Iran.
Milstein said that according to the reports he received, the synagogues have become the temporary educational facilities in Iran. Not only are classes provided for the youngsters, but special classes have also been organized for adults. In addition, religious services at the synagogues were well attended. Milstein said Ozar Hatorah is determined to continue its program in Iran as it has for the past 32 years.
Ozar Hatorah services approximately 4500 students in Iran, Milstein said. There are more than 40 schools throughout the country. Most of them are located in Teheran and Shiraz, and other schools are located in cities including Abadan, Kerman, Kamyaran and Hamadan. Ozor Hatorah, which is the only school system in Iran that provides Jewish education, according to Milstein, also has schools in France, Morocco and Syria.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
