The raid occurred in this building on the corner of Beaubien and Parc Avenues.

Montreal Chasidic School Raided by Police and CPS

A Chasidic school in Montreal that is allegedly operating without a Permit from the Quebec Education Ministry was raided today by the local version of Child Protective Services, accompanied by heavily-armed police. It is yet unclear whether any students have been taken into protective custody.

From the CBC:

A youth protection operation is underway at a suspected illegal school in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough, led by Batshaw Youth and Family Centres with the help of the Montreal police.

CBC’s French-language service, Radio-Canada, has confirmed the school is operated by the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community, and it’s suspected of operating without an Education Ministry permit.

There is a heavy police presence around Beaubien Street and Parc Avenue.

Click here to continue reading at the CBC.

 

19 Comments

    • YMSP

      Took the words out of my mouth. At the time, we were also fighting on the comments section with some sicko who claimed to be a Socal Shliach who condoned Tzar Nikolai style raids, shoimu shomayim.

  • Anonymous

    As someone involved in the yeshiva here in montreal I want you to know that this is due to the fact that we only teach loshon kodesh. I have begged the anash community to immediately add secular studies, in french, as the Quebec government demands so that we can receive government funding and cover our growing budget. I have constantly encountered resistance from those within the community.

    • MTL

      Agreed. But there isn’t anyone to talk to. I think they’re just trying to weed out all of those (us) who are “undesirable” so they can have their own exclusive “school” (such as it is).

    • They DO teach Limudei Chol

      All the other Chasidic schools in Montreal teach Limudei Chol and the government is still not satisfied.
      Don’t think that all your problems will be gone once you start teaching French, English and math

    • YMSP

      There’s letters from the Rebbe specifically to TTL of Montreal not to have it forced (have a kodesh only option).

      Why don’t you tell the truth, for once, and write that no amount of regular secular studies would help. The course mandating teaching of all religions and I believe toeiva as well, has to be taught according to your gestapo friends in “La Ministrie yeemach sheemam.”

      BH it wasn’t in TTL but it may be time for the entire community to leave Kay Bec.

    • to # 6

      the rebbe said it should be by choice,
      so why was the secular department in montreal closed? not giving a choice is going against what the rebbe said,
      plus now the yeshiva is faced with a $200,000 plus bill after losing tax free school status

      thank you to the previous executive director and friends

    • YMSP

      Oh, here we go again with outright lies or complete ignorance. I saw the letters. The Rebbe said that, at the very least, there must be an option for those who do not want secular studies. Most students were not from Anash homes (this was the case almost until 1990). The Rebbe was very clear that the option NOT to have secular studies must remain (even though these students were then a small minority). The Rebbe also screamed against secular studies with more fervor than on any other issue (using the expression “yiddisher goy” at one point).

      The Rebbe’s letter to Montreal was clear. Yet some will twist it to mean its exact opposite, that the Rebbe demanded the option that he was against, ch”v and then use that letter to try to negate the option that he was clearly advocating for. The shamefully low level of lies here is beyond disgusting.

      And again, this particular case (Kay Bec 2016 – Fransoizland 5776) has nothing to do with regular secular studies (that the Rebbe also screamed against and that Tanya says is mtameh halev vhamoach) and everything to do with teaching the mandated KayBec course of comparative religions (in elementary school!!) and toieivah.

      Vive le Quebec Libre!

    • YMSP

      Sorry – metameh moichin

      Halev vhamoiach is OU-D, basically treif according to all poskim except for the Adas Chochomim on the nanny thread.

      But someone who twists the Rebbe’s letter in such a way has no lev to begin with (my apologies if it’s real ignorance – but such a level of ignorance is staggering – And why comment?)

      Also, the yeshiva wasn’t mostly made up of families who were not yet from Anash until “almost 1990,” as I wrote, rather, this was the case through 1990 or 1991.

    • YMSP

      Wrong government. Phillipe Couillard (spelling?, but who cares) yemach shmo. The problem is that most Jews have supported his party. As a first step, they should move support to the CAQ and even the PQ while securing silent deals that protect our people and Jewish kids.

  • YMSP

    To every reckless, callous shoiteh who said “Lev Tahor” is different, please just google “Martin Niemoller,” and gei vein zich ois in bod for what you felt. (And yes, Lev Tahor are wackjobs, but whoever felt that G-d forbid their kids should be taken is cruel and callous beyond words. And whoever thought that the gestapo of Kay Bec would see a difference between Lev Tahor and normal, real Chassidish groups is too foolish for words.)

    It is time for Jews to refuse to do any business with Quebec as a first step.

    It is also time to find other ways and to leave no stone unturned in making sure that these French Tzar Nikolais receive all economic and other legal or halachically sanctioned pressure to cease and desist their war against Torah and Jewish children.

    The only difference between now and Chanukah is that some people wearing yarmulkas have been (at best) quite indifferent to the modern Hellenists, y”sh.

  • Just curious

    How come no one raids the straight orthodox day schools? I’ve heard nothing but praise from montrealers about the orthodox community, which has an open book system. There’s obviously something we don’t know that’s unsavory, which added unwanted attention to warrant a raid.
    No I don’t know all the facts. But I don’t agree that everything is a witch hunt. Obviously there was a reason and if it was operating illegally then it should have been made legal, like any Jewish day school

    • Montrealer

      They are only raiding the schools that have no gov’t approved secular program. Jewish schools with a gov’t approved secular program are not raided like this, but the inspectors can and do drop in randomly to check up that everything is up to their level. What they want in the raid are names and info about the students so they can take away the monthly baby bonus if a child not in a gov’t approved school is not being home-schooled up to their standards, with proof.

    • YMSP

      Obviously you comment without knowing anything. They raid schools which don’t teach their “religions” course (“Con”fucius yemach shmo and the whole shebang – no word yet why Jim Jones and his Kool-Aid didn’t make the cut, but there’s always next year im edain loi bo).

      These are the same beacons of human light that go around measuring letters on store signs, and fining the owners if the English letters aren’t smaller than the French ones by a predetermined fraction.

      Any other brilliant comments as to “what’s really going on”? Please…. Feel free….

  • Secular?

    Since when is math secular?

    “Aleph plus Aleph equals Bais”; “If you make $ 900.00 a week, and you give 15% to tzedaka, what is your net earning?.” ETC!

    Same with a langauge.

    “Torah sudy brings you closer to Hashem.” Which words are nouns?

    If the Goyim don’t like that, well TOO BAD!! If the secular schools teach that perverted lifestyles are okay, then “DIN MALCHUSCHA DIN” is null and void. Go ahead and do like the Yevtzeksia, Y”SH!

  • Montrealer

    Yeshiva instituting a gov’t approved secular program must make it French b/c of bill 101, which states only ppl who have at least 1 parent who attended English school in Canada can attended English school in Quebec. This is why Beth Rivkah had to be French, or else Americans, Israelis etc would not be allowed to attend. Many kids who are learning French in a French school are not given it as immersion; they are taught as tho they are French. With both parents not knowing French, this leads to a lot of problems. Academic support for these kids is costly.
    Also all the secular teachers must have a bachelor of education from a Quebec university, if you come from Ontario with one it’s no good here. There are many more hoops the school must jump thru, for example: if a parent decides not to send son to secular have him come home for the day at lunch, the school can lose permit unless they kick the kid out. This is one of the many things the inspectors are rooting around for.

  • YMSP

    This point is going to be made fodder of, but it shouldn’t and it’s true. Everyone knows that Moshe Yess was mosur lev vanefesh to the Rebbe and to bringing Moshiach. During the Quebec Referendum he voted yes because the Rebbe had mentioned in the Tzorfas/Forotza sicha (Kislev 5752 when HRH”G Moshe Rubin O”H and others went in, representing Montreal – which the Rebbe made mention of) that Quebec reconnecting with France seemed to be positive (the Rebbe said az er misht zich nisht arein in politik – he’s not getting involved in politics) but wasn’t shoilel the inyan and seemed to be favorable to it.

    The separatists are not interested in these things. The federalist (ones who want to stay part of Canada) party is and Jews have mistakenly made it clear that they can rely on their support, even in the face of Tzar Nikolai-style raids.

    There is a middle option, the CAQ, and askonim should open a dialogue with them, centered on lifting them, promoting Israel trade connections, centered around leaving kids alone. The PQ separatists are in middle of a leadership race and it would be foolish beyond belief to not have askonim open a dialogue with the more traditional opponents (everyone was reflexively against them, but the Rebbe may well have felt that their becoming a nation would make them mature and pick priorities). (Tosh realized that a key complaint of the French is the Jewish connection with the English and managed to open a dialogue with the PQ that benefited the Jewish community and Quebec.) And the diehard Liberals (federalists – including right and left wingers) should at least make it clear that they won’t be supporting them under “any and all circumstances” anymore and also offer to facilitate increased trade with Israel subject to them leaving yeshivos alone. This is all basic and very doable.