[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
Not all parents are applauding, at least in private, as the Knesset on Monday night the eve of 19 Tammuz passed the amended bill pushed by chareidi parties. As a result, chareidi schools are no longer compelled to teach mathematics, science and English, as gedolei hador have come out strongly against any “government interference” in the education of chareidi children.
However, many parents secretly blessed the law voted in by the previous Knesset amid the awareness it would provide their children with tools to earn a living after leaving beis medrash.
The law that was eliminated compelled schools to provide 10-11 hours of math, science and English weekly. However, the Minister of Education is given the authority to decide if s/he will make learning these subjects is contingent on receiving state funding so it is possible that Minister Naftali Bennett may compel some secular subjects in the chareidi curriculum.
The vote on the bill in its first reading passed in a 37 to 33 vote. When presenting the bill for a vote, Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush explained “It is a question of 65 years verses 18 months of compelling the subjects by Yesh Atid. We have always made do without funding and with more difficult conditions and received a promise to maintain the status quo since the establishment of the state”.
Porush added that despite claims by opponents to the amendment that one million children will be impacted, in fact, it will only impact 41,000, those registered to ‘mosdos patur’ and these parents do not wish the schools teaching anything contrary to the position of gedolei hador. Porush added there are only about 420,000 students in chareidi educations so the figure one million is simply absurd.
What really happened with the vote?
Former Education Minister (Yesh Atid) Shai Piron spearheaded the change to compel chareidi children to learn secular subjects and passed it into law. However, in fact, little changed with the chareidi amendment since in the past, the law compelled schools to teach the secular subjects but now, following the vote, the authority has been placed in the hands of the Minister of Education. That means today, Naftali Bennett has the authority to stipulate state funding for a school is still contingent on teaching these subjects.
Why oppose teaching math and English?
Talmidim in Chinuch Atzmai schools do learn basic math (adding, subtracting, multiplication and division) and some, even English. (We are addressing boys. Girls often learn more secular subjects than boys). However, the so-called ‘mosdos patur’ that receive less than 50% of funding from the state but do enjoy funding, were pressured to teach the subjects.
Rabbonim explain that it is less a matter of teaching more math than it is permitting state interference in chareidi education, citing the Chazon Ish, ZT”L, the Brisker ZT”L and Rav Sonnenfeld ZT”L were among those speaking out loud and clear against any state involvement in education and the gezeira is still adhered to today. Noted rav Rabbi Motcha Blau is among the audible voices behind maintaining education in line with the gedolim of the generations, telling Kol Chai Radio on Tuesday 20 Tammuz that parents have the right to send children to the school they wish as the school has a right to teach as it wishes and the rabbonim will never accept state interference on any level.
What are the children learning?
As stated above, children learn basic math and grammar and that is all. Parents are quietly frustrated in many areas, some explaining to YWN-ISRAEL and to Kol Chai that today things are different, and having basic English dialogue skills is not a luxury but a necessity. They add that the chareidim entering the IDF Shachar program have proven their ability to learns advanced math quickly following years of developing their minds by learning Gemara, but the same is not true of English. Some chareidim interviewed, above the age of 25, explaining it is unquestionably more difficult to learn a language at a later age and it should have been taught to them in school.
However, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita and other gedolim in the chassidish camp remain adamant and the curriculum remains unchanged.
The video is the Yesh Atid party’s response to the passing of the bill.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Sorry but I don’t buy it.There are plenty of Israelis who get along fine with nonexistent to minimal English including those who went to state schools.
As you accurately write, the resistance is to the secular establishment dictating the syllabus of the independent chareidi educational system, not whether math or English is important for a child’s future. I know of a choshuva English-speaking Rebbetzin in Israel who says that she could have easily taught her sons English and purposely did not because she did not want certain doors open to them. These children are grandparents now, managing fine financially despite the “handicap” and those who had an interest in learning English picked it up on their own.
Why should parents be secretly disappointed? They can send their children to schools that do teach these subjects. If they choose to send their sons to the cheder system which follows the dictates of gedolim regarding what to teach and what not, then let them be proud and not disappointed. It’s their choice who to follow. If English is the issue (the chadorim do teach basic math and Hebrew grammar) and they feel it’s important for their children’s well-rounded education, they can send their children to private English lessons. I know people who do this. The ones who are disappointed seem to be some of the children themselves who choose to follow a path not set forth by their parents and then regret that they can’t speak English. If only all kids who grew up in the secular educational system would protest when they reach adulthood that their parents denied them basic Jewish knowledge. That is truly tragic and should be the issue of focus, not the lack of English – certainly on a website called Yeshiva World News.
ywn against gedolim
Yesterday, Moti Lavi on Kol Chai radio interviewed two directors of two different night schools that teach English to adults, especially to Chareidi adults (over 20 yrs old). One of them said that the success rate (i.e., how many complete the course) is 90% and the other said the success rate is 100%. This is not to say that it’s not difficult to learn a foreign language (English) as an adult. However, if someone really wants to, then he can learn English, even as an adult.
The actual problem with “Haradie” education is that it does not prepare its students to be Jews. Most never learn how to Daven properly or keep Shabbos. The most basic, proper behavior in a Shul is not taught. Girls are taught to wear their sleeves below the elbow and their hems below the knees but that it is somehow alright to wear skin tight clothing and eye catching, full flow wigs.
As to the secular education; we have always learned secular knowledge. More often than not it was informally taught in the home or by friends but we always learned it because we needed it. Nothing has changed. When I asked, a few years ago, a number of Rabbis why they were opposed to adding the secular studies, I received a number of different explanations but they all could be summarized as fear of the Chillonim. Most that I talked to acknowledged that there is a need to know these things but saw this as an assault on the Torah and an attempt to destroy Torah education. I do not disagree. Considering it is the haters of Torah that are always trying to “improve” our situation, we need to be skeptical. Nevertheless we need to have certain basic skills to make a living. Better these skills be taught within the Torah educational system than outside of it.
Not teaching math and science today condemns a whole generation ignorance and denies them the ability to earn a reasonable living.
BH, let the Zionists teach their Plato and Marx and Herzl and we will have our Ktzos. Daas Torah now and in the past said its assur so that’s all I need to hear. Besides once the Zionists get in the schools they will us to serve in their army as well.
Aryeh, are those tznius issues that you mentioned a problem in Eretz Yisroel? I thought it was an American etc. problem.
#5 well said