By an order of the Minister of Education, the teaching of prayers is forbidden in the secular schools of the minorities in Turkey.
The argument presented by the Education Ministry in prohibiting the prayers was that this contradicted the principle of the secularity of the schools, giving them a religious character. The Jewish schools, which always gave special lessons in praying, are now compelled to abolish these lessons.
The teaching of Jewish history was forbidden some time ago. The only Jewish subject now left is Hebrew, which has been reduced to a few instruction hours weekly.
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