After years of focus on the major educational
deficiencies within many ultra-orthodox or Hasidic schools in New York,
the state Education Department in November issued updated guidelines
that included clarification on “substantial equivalency” requirements
for nonpublic schools.
As these guidelines apply to all private schools, it’s been met with a
bit of an uproar. Several politicians have been swift to pander to
Agudath Israel—an Orthodox Jewish advocacy organization—and yeshiva
leaders by portraying this as an assault on yeshivas and calling on the
state to back off.
Schools in the Orthodox Jewish community exist along a spectrum. The
Modern Orthodox schools offer a well-rounded Jewish education as well as
a robust secular education, by which I mean instruction in English,
math, science, history, physical education, etc. Graduates of these
Modern Orthodox schools do quite well academically and professionally,
and their successes are now being touted as “proof” that the yeshiva
system works and is even superior to public schools.
On the other end of the spectrum are the
Hasidic schools, particularly boys' high schools, where the school day
is dominated by Judaic studies. Secular studies are either given short
shrift or not taught at all. Their students don’t typically graduate
with a state-recognized high school diploma.
Unfortunately, an initial misreading of the
revised guidelines worried parents of students in well-performing
yeshivas that the state would require an unreasonable six to seven hours
a day of secular studies. The state then clarified that the
distribution of hours from which that estimate was drawn covered a
two-year period, which means the actual requirement is around
three-and-a-half hours per day.
But Agudath Israel cynically exploited that
momentary confusion and rallied the Modern Orthodox to the defense of
the ultra-Orthodox and the Hasidic yeshivas—the schools with serious
educational deficiencies. Agudath Israel and a Borough Park-Williamsburg
group formed in 2016
called Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools have
unfortunately framed this as an attack on the community’s religious
beliefs, labeling educational advocates as outsiders set on destroying
its way of life.
In fact, the majority of those advocating
for educational improvement are former Hasidic students who were never
provided a proper education. They care deeply about the Jewish community
and about the education and welfare of children.
Portraying the guidelines as an attack on all yeshivas is
shortsighted, foolish and dangerous. The education of thousands of
children is at stake. One can choose to be misinformed or one can take
the time to learn the truth. If the state succumbs to special-interest
pressure, the ultimate victims will be more generations of Hasidic
children.
New Yorkers should be paying close attention for several reasons.
Hasidic schools receive millions of taxpayer dollars. With students
emerging without a high school education or even basic English language
skills, their career prospects are limited and their families struggle
from the start.
A parent’s right to choose to send a child to yeshiva is
unquestionable, but there is no parental or communal right to deny
children the tools necessary to survive and thrive.
It is no secret that thousands of young Hasidic families, primarily
in the communities of Williamsburg, New Square and Kiryas Joel, depend
on government aid to survive. Now that their children attend the same or
similar schools, we can expect the cycle to continue for another
generation.
Advocating for secular education is not about providing abstract
information in the classroom. It’s about giving young Jewish men the
means through which they can lead dignified lives and support their
families, which is a tall order without proper education. They should
have the options of joining the workforce and reap opportunities
available to all U.S. citizens. Far from being a threat to the
community, secular education is the only way to save the community.
Shlomo Noskow is an
emergency physician practicing in New York. He is on the board at
Yaffed, an organization advocating for improved education in Hasidic
schools.
1 comment:
The education is treif but the welfare payments they wind up living on are glatt kosher.
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