Herzliya City Council member Elad Zadikov was appalled by Arutz Sheva's expose about the Hoshen association's activities inculcating heterophobic values in city kindergartens, and demands that the mayor ban the organization from the education system.
Under the heading "Activities for hundreds of Herzliya kindergarten teachers and assistants to encourage deviant tendencies in kindergartens," Zadikov wrote to Mayor Moshe Fadlon:
"I was shocked, like many other thousands of families in Herzliya, to hear that the Herzliya education system, under the auspices of a member of your party and deputy mayor, became the first Israeli education system (possibly in the world) to run training activities for hundreds of kindergarten teachers and their assistants to encourage deviant tendencies in kindergartens."
Zadikov - who is a council member from the Gesher faction, which represents mainly returnees to Torah observance - claimed to the mayor that he is turning the Herzliya education system "into the first in Israel to impart deviant tendency values as a normal model, even to be emulated.
"Among the recommendations to kindergarten teachers and their assistants: Eliminating the concept of 'father and mother of the Sabbath' classroom role-playing; deliberate identity confusion: No dolls for girls, no boy's games; providing a female role model for male professions; explaining to kindergarten children that there is a wide range of family units, including for example: two mothers, or two fathers, or a mother and father who live apart, or the mother and her friend, or the father and his friend (for 4-year-olds)!!??
"With all due respect, Mr. Fadlon, on behalf of what public were you allowed to poison the minds of our kindergarten children and introduce a spirit of lasciviousness and confusion into the tender souls of Herzliya's 3,4,5-year-olds!? The fact that they are affiliated with the general public education system does not allow anyone to confuse basic concepts and the traditional values of home and family unit.
"Any person while forming the normal course of his life will make his own life choices. Why should the educational system confuse a 5-year-old?? The world is drowning in the ink of the new spirit that takes pride in its actions in the bedroom. With all due respect to those people, the majority of Israelis keep their bedroom affairs between themselves. Not between him and the main thoroughfare. Just as the public was opposed to introducing sex education for children aged four ... all the more so that the sick spirit of pluralism that has blinded the eyes of those who took this insane decision - for the first time in Israel I stress - that sickens and poisons our children."
Zadikov called upon Fadlon to "ban the operations of the Hoshen organization and to draw clear boundaries within the education system.
"You received no mandate to confuse gender identity in our kindergartens," he wrote. "My position has nothing to do with being an observant Jew. I am sure that if you do a survey of all the Herzliya public, you will find the vast majority of the public views the act that was done as a very serious matter. This is crossing a red line that until today has been allowed by no Israeli authority, and for good reason."
The Herzliya Municipality said in response: "We regret that a member of the Council chose to speak in such a hurtful way. The Herzliya Municipality's culture of administration and government has no room for poison and inciteful content, and therefore the letter hardly merits consideration. However, here we should emphasize that Herzliya will continue to be a city that values patience, tolerance, and acceptance of all people, everywhere.
"Training of preschool teachers and professional kindergarten teams is carried out in accordance with the curriculum outlined by the Ministry of Education, in the spirit of the State of Israel's democratic values."