Pelech (Hebrew: פלך ) is a high school for religious girls in Jerusalem, Israel. The school, located in the Baka neighborhood, marked its 40th anniversary in 2006. It was founded by Rabbi Shalom Rosenbluth and his wife Penina as an alternative to the Beis Yaakov girls' educational system but was banned by the Haredi establishment soon after its establishment. [1]
In 1975, Alice Shalvi, a British-born professor of English literature at Hebrew University of Jerusalem became the principal. Her intervention is credited with turning the school into one of Jerusalem's most prestigious high schools.[2]
History
Pelech first opened in the clubhouse of the Bnei Akiva youth movement in Pardes Hannah in 1963. When the founders, Rabbi Shalom Rosenbluth and his wife, relocated to Jerusalem, the school moved with them to Bayit Vegan. From its outset, the curriculum included Talmud as a compulsory subject - a revolutionary step in the Israeli religious educational system, where girls did not study Talmud. [3]
After the Six Day War, the school was given an abandoned building on Mount Zion. The student population totaled 50 girls. Sholom Rosenbluth taught Talmud, mathematics and physics, and his wife, Penina, taught English. Other teachers were Rabbi Yehuda Amital, Rabbi Mordechai Breuer, Professor Andre Neher and Dr. Hananel Mack. [4]
The school, facing financial and other difficulties, was on the brink of closure in 1975, when Alice Shalvi, who had come to appreciate the school’s philosophy, volunteered her services for a limited period. She served as principal for the next 15 years. [5]