City leaders and education officials in Bnei Brak held an emergency meeting to address a growing wave of arson incidents involving youths, announcing strict new measures—including suspensions from cheder—for students found involved.

The urgent gathering, held at City Hall, brought together dozens of principals from Talmudei Torah across the city in an effort to present a unified response to troubling behavior that has become increasingly common among local teenagers. The main focus was a series of fires set in different parts of the city by students, creating real danger to lives, causing property damage, and disrupting emergency response efforts.

Deputy Mayor Chanoch Zeibert opened the meeting by outlining the severity of the issue, warning that fires in residential areas are harming residents due to heavy smoke and creating a public disgrace in the eyes of emergency and security forces. He stressed that such conduct is unacceptable for students who are expected to reflect proper values, and called on school administrators to ensure that students return home immediately after classes rather than wandering through the city in the evening hours.

The keynote speaker, Rav Yehuda Aryeh Dinner, described his personal distress as someone living near the affected areas and witnessing the scenes firsthand. He spoke about the serious harm caused to neighbors and the disruption to Torah study, and urged school leaders to act with firm and uncompromising measures to restore order. He emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the damage being caused by such behavior among youth raised in a Torah environment.

During the meeting, participants held an in-depth discussion and acknowledged the complexity of the situation. They ultimately agreed on a series of strict disciplinary steps, including immediate suspension for any student found in areas where the incidents are occurring. Schools will also issue urgent warnings to students through their internal systems to deter involvement in fire-setting, and staff will conduct proactive patrols in areas known to be at risk.

At the same time, a letter was sent to parents calling for full cooperation. The notice outlines the legal consequences of arson and includes a written commitment that parents are required to sign. Parents will be expected to monitor when their children return home and prevent them from having access to materials that could be used to start fires.

City officials Menachem Shapiro, Shlomo Elharar, and Avraham Binder said they will back the schools in enforcing these tough measures, emphasizing that strong action is necessary to stop the ongoing disturbances in the city’s streets.

{Matzav.com}