Rabbi Alexander and Leah Namdar

Sweden Shluchim Face Judge for Homeschooling

Rabbi Alexander and Leah Namdar, Chabad Shluchim in Sweden, will be tried today, Tuesday, by the Gothenburg Municipality for the alleged ‘crime’ of homeschooling their 11 children, due to the lack of Jewish schools in the area.

The children attend Chabad’s Shluchim Online School, an educational institute with live teachers and students networking together via the internet from all over the globe.

Three years ago, the Gothenburg Municipality forbade the Namdars from homeschooling their children, claiming it was against the law and demanding that the children be sent to public school.

The Namdars appealed that decision and won; the Municipality then submitted a second lawsuit, in which the Namdars prevailed once again. Today they will appear in court for the third time, and the judges will determine whether the state can permit homeschooling when special circumstances prevail.

Update: The judge has postponed his ruling until four weeks from today. Rabbi Namdar said that this is a positive development, as the verdict will be delivered during the month of Adar.

To help the Namdars with their mounting legal fees, please donate by clicking here.

16 Comments

  • WT-???!!!!

    im pretty sure their children get a better education then most other kids there!!!!

  • Mefiboshes

    If they had any guts (brains) they would tell the judge what the Frierdiker Rebbe told the NY State Authorities when they tried to interfere with the education iof Yiddishe Kinder: The day the children have to follow your plan is the day that German bombs will fall on NY.
    Sweden is a goner anyway.

    • Anonymous

      And if you had any “guts/brains” you would click on the link and donate, which the real help they need right now, not pithy advice.

    • Curious

      Never heard this. Do you have a source (not that I don’t believe it, but when passing it on I will be questioned)

    • Guts and brains

      They chose to be Shluchim of the rebbe, and moved out to Sweden. Doesn’t that settle the question of having brains and guts!?!?!?!?! What a stupid way to say what could otherwise have been an interesting point about the frierdikker rebbe.

  • Finnally

    If only all of us would pull our kids from the mass babysitting institutions and begin homeschooling. There’d then be hope for our next generation.

  • Chana

    I met a woman in the library from Germany. She told me it was illegal to homeschool children there. I couldn’t believe it!.
    She said she was so happy her and her husband moved to America where she had the freedom to homeschool.