A serious fire broke out at a girls’ seminary in Yerushalayim on Monday. Dozens of girls were injured, and several neighbors suffered wounds as they bravely sawed the locks open and worked to save the trapped students. Miraculously, no lives were lost. But the terrifying reality behind the incident should shake us to our core. The girls were literally trapped inside the building. Not by accident, not by oversight, but by design. The dormitory had been padlocked shut to ensure that the girls could not sneak out at night and wander the streets. When the fire erupted, those locks could have been a death sentence. This was not just a fire—it was a preventable tragedy in the making, eerily reminiscent of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, when Jewish girls lost their lives because they were locked inside their workplace. Even more startling is the revelation that this is not an isolated incident. After speaking with others, it appears that locking seminary girls inside their dormitories at night is not uncommon. This practice is beyond reckless. It’s a grotesque distortion of the notion of safety, replacing one potential danger with a far graver one. Some may argue that these measures are necessary to protect the girls from the risks that lurk outside. The streets of Yerushalayim, they say, can be dangerous at night, and strict precautions are needed. I understand this concern. But in locking the doors, the seminaries are gambling with the girls’ lives. Monday’s fire is proof that the risks inside can be just as deadly as those outside. And then comes the larger question: Why are we still sending our daughters to these seminaries at all? Parents are paying exorbitant amounts—tens of thousands of dollars—to place their daughters in substandard living conditions, often with cramped rooms, poor facilities, and inadequate safety measures. For what? The lessons and values taught in these seminaries can be conveyed just as effectively in the United States, at a fraction of the cost and without the life-threatening risks. Some will say that the experience of living in Eretz Yisroel is invaluable. Fine. Let the seminaries organize month-long trips to Israel instead of year-long programs that put girls in harm’s way. A short visit can provide the inspiration and connection to Eretz Yisroel without requiring parents to send their daughters halfway across the world, unsupervised and vulnerable. The seminary system has become a juggernaut of expectation in our community, a rite of passage for many girls. But at what cost? Monday’s fire should be a wake-up call. This system needs to be re-evaluated from the ground up. Our daughters’ safety must take precedence over outdated expectations and financial burdens. We have reached the end of the line with post-high school seminaries in Israel. It’s time to rethink what we are asking of our girls and their families. If nothing else, the today’s near-tragedy make one thing clear: when it comes to seminaries, enough is enough. Sincerely, A Suddenly Terrified Mother The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.