Complained about the deputy principal — and was sent to teach at another school
Ilan Tashtash, who coached the women's sailing team for the Olympics, also taught at the School of Maritime Education. According to him, he was transferred because he exposed improper conduct. What did the Labor Court rule?
Ilan Basik Tashtash, a sailing coach for five Olympic Games, recently secured a victory in the Tel Aviv Labor Court. Judge Reut Shemer-Bagas ruled that he must be immediately reinstated at the School of Maritime Education in Tel Aviv, from which he had been transferred following a complaint he filed against the institution's deputy principal.
Tashtash (54) had been a teacher at the school since 1994 while simultaneously coaching the Israeli women's sailing team. In late 2024, he informed the school principal that the deputy had been working abroad during the school year without authorization while continuing to collect a salary. Months later, he was summoned to a meeting and informed that teachers had filed complaints against him. In April 2025, a Ministry of Education inspector cited "incompatibility with the teaching staff" and ordered his transfer to a maritime school in Bat Yam.
In his lawsuit, Tashtash argued that the hearing process was flawed and that the transfer was retaliatory. He claimed that after exposing the deputy's misconduct, he faced harassment, including an increase in his weekly workload. The Ministry of Education denied any connection between the transfer and the complaint, alleging that the coach had harassed staff members by threatening and recording them without consent.
Judge Shemer-Bagas ruled that the hearing process was tainted by serious irregularities, primarily the failure to present the alleged complaints against him. Tashtash testified that he was only shown "blank white papers turned over." The court stated that denying the right to review evidence violates the duty of good faith required in such proceedings.
"These factors carry additional weight given that the teacher has nearly 30 years of seniority, was a founder of the school, and had no prior record of complaints regarding inappropriate behavior or threats," the verdict stated.
The judge ordered his reinstatement for the upcoming school year and awarded him 30,000 shekels in compensation for occupational harassment, plus 15,000 shekels for legal fees.
