A civics teacher, Adam Verta in Greenburg High School in Kiryat Tivon.
near Haifa, is on the search for a new job, after a pupil complained about his “slipping leftist ideology into classroom lessons.”  As a result, the Education Ministry is seeking to fire him. The teacher, said the student, said that he had voted for Hadash.

ORT student rallies to defend her teacher (Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yshuv)

Right wing Education minister, Shay Piron (“Yesh Atid”) ordered the ORT school system to investigate a complaint against a high school teacher from one of its schools in the north of Israel, following a letter from a 12th-grade pupil. The pupil wrote to the minister alleging that her teacher promoted extreme-left political opinions in class, including criticism of the IDF and the occupation of the Palestinian territories. The teacher was called in for a hearing, and his job appears to be on the line; “Haaretz” reports that he has stated he will not resign.

“Haaretz“ reported that after the pupil, Sapir Sabah, wrote to the Education Minister, he directed the central office of the ORT school system to look into the matter and the latter held a hearing. “Haaretz” and “The Jerusalem Post“ reported that he was about to be fired, or that ORT administrators had proposed that he step down; he refused. On Monday morning, ORT pupils held  a demonstration in solidarity with the teacher. Some 200 pupils took to the streets to protest the potential dismissal and a letter was signed by teachers in ORT school against firing of Verta.

The pupil who made the initial complaint, Sapir Sabah, appeared on Israeli television Monday morning, explaining that she was motivated to appeal to the Education Ministry after her 12th grade teacher, Verta, revealed himself to be a “leftist who was inciting against the IDF and encouraging students not to perform military service.” Sabah told Channel 2 that Verta acknowledged to his pupils that he voted for Hadash.