JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Bar-Ilan University Talmud professor kicked a male student out of his class for not wearing a yarmulke.
The incident reportedly occurred last week and later came to light on the Bar-Ilan Facebook page. A complaint posted on the page over the weekend by a classmate and the stream of comments following it were removed on Tuesday but then circulated by screenshot.
"How is it possible that a lecturer tells a student to get out of class for not wearing a kippah, and the university backs that teacher?" the student wrote on the Facebook page.
The university responded that all students signed a form at the time of enrollment that they agreed to wear mandatory head coverings in basic Judaism courses. Not all professors strictly enforce the rule.
"The obligation to wear a yarmulke in classes pertaining to religious texts is meant to respect the institution’s Jewish tradition and values. According to the university guidelines, students are obligated to wear a yarmulke in Judaism classes," according to the university’s official response.
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