[By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times]
There is a Bais Yaakov in Flatbush that is no longer open. Unfortunately, it has closed because of matters beyond its hands. The school, Bais Yaakov Oz v’Hodor did a fabulous job, but unfortunately had to close its doors.
There seems to be no Vaad HaChinuch in Brooklyn, like that which exists in Lakewood, New Jersey, to bring all the local schools to the table and force them to take in all of the girls that have not been placed into their schools. When a parent does not have a school for their child, they feel alone. It is one of the greatest Mitzvos of Ahavas Yisroel to make sure that these parents feel that someone is looking after them.
Boruch Hashem, one school, Machon Bais Yaakov, took in an entire grade of this school.
Girls that are out of school can suffer from depression and anxiety, and a feeling that they are not wanted. The verse in Parshas Ki Taytzai (Dvarim 22:2) discusses the Mitzvah of Hashavas Aveida – returning an object with the words, “Vahashaivoso lo – and you shall return it to him.” The Gemorah in Sanhedrin (73a), however, includes within its understanding of these words the obligation of returning “his own life to him as well.” For example, if thieves are threatening to pounce upon him, there is an obligation of “Vahashaivoso lo.” Helping these girls find schools may be a fulfillment of this Mitzvah.
Lo Saamod Al Dam Rayacha
This Mitzvah is mentioned both in Shulchan Aruch (CM 426:1) and in the Rambam. When someone is out of school it can be a very serious issue.
Lo Suchal l’hisalaym
There is yet another negative commandment associated with the positive commandment of Hashavas Aveida, and that is the verse in Dvarim (22:3), “You cannot shut your eyes to it.” This verse comes directly after the Mitzvah fo Hashavas Aveidah. The Netziv (HeEmek Sheailah) refers to this Mitzvah as well.
V’Ahavta l’Rayacha Kamocha
The Ramban, Toras haAdam Shaar HaSakana (p42-43) understands the verse of “And love thy neighbor as yourself” as a directive to save him or her from danger as well. Although he discusses the issue of medical danger, it is clear that this is an example, and it would apply to emotional danger as well. Even without the Ramban, however, it is clear that defending and protecting someone from an emotional danger is a fulfillment of this Mitzvah.
It seems that there are two things that need to be done. The first is to make sure that these young ladies have a school to attend. The second is to figure out a way in which the schools can get together, to ensure that this type of situation does not happen again.
The author can be reached at [email protected].
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18 Responses
Not so fast with the facts only a few years ago Lakewood had the same problem. Tens of girls where out of classrooms NO O N E wanted them either. Until the school in Deal offered them space
Never heard of the expression ” beyond it’s hands”.
BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN!
Now we need a proposed solution. Writing an article only brings the issue to light but sadly DOESN’T address the resolve.
No School should throw out or send a child home because of money. Let the Adminst.. deal with the parents. Its not a childs fault & they should never ever be embarrased because thier parents owe tuition.
There are a lot of askanim that deal with the issue, day to day.
There’s a noted askan I know, selfless and tireless, that works year round on ‘school-less’ children, disadvantaged children etc. He keeps up with all his charges and tracks their progress. He’s directly in touch with the students and parents, numbering in the thousands, on a 1 to 1 basis. You don’t hear about him, because he’s a one man band, quiet and unassuming, without any of the normal fanfare. No ‘institution’, ‘mosad’, ‘organization’, no publicity or campaigns. Just pure chesed, straight from the heart. Many of our brothers and sisters owe their very life to his efforts. May HaShem grant him many, many year more in his Avodas Hakodesh!
Brooklyn is not the only Bais Yaakov type of school that didnt let in girls.Here in Queens we have the same problems.
The biggest challenge to the future of Judaism and Jews in America is the high cost of frum education. This article highlights only a small part of the problem. There must be serious efforts to address the core problem, which is cost. Rabbi Hoffman did not say why a Bais Yaakov was forced to close, and maybe he thinks the closure is not important. But I cannot help thinking that part of the reason for the closure was money.
I continue to believe that frum Jews should find a way to use the public schools – and the taxpayers’ money – for the non-religious portions of children’s education. The yeshiva/chinuch establishment has too many people who count on them for employment, and utilizing secular schools would jeopardize the livelihoods of many rabbi/educators. For this (and other genuine) reason, the chinuch establishment continues to oppose sending frum children to public schools for the secular portion of their education. I do not know how much longer the chinuch establishment can maintain this position, but I see no point in trying to sustain an unsustainable position.
There should be a Boro VAAD!
@ ZeesKite
When you say “you don’t hear about him” – we should hear about him. If I didn’t hear of our local tzadik my daughter may still not have a school. I don’t know if you are referring to the tzadik from Lakewood…
My daughter was not in any school until very recently. Fortunately she’s only starting nursery so throughout the whole “process” she did not know that she had no school to go to. When she asked, my wife and I we always answered that we didn’t decide yet.
During this time of uncertainty the one ray of light was this tzadik from Lakewood who assured us not to worry & that our daughter would get in to a good school… and we believed him.
I truly don’t know where our sanity (not to mention our little girl) would be without Him.
HKB”H should give him the koach to continue his selfless work for the klal. He and his family should reap all the brochos he deserves.
Nefesh Academy, located in Brooklyn, caters to girls who need a more open environment. Many of the former students from Oz V’hadar have contacted Nefesh Academy when their school suddenly closed down. The administration at Nefesh has been working tirelessly to place each student that requested an interview; if Nefesh is not the appropriate place, we attempt to find a school that is.
As one of the Principals at Nefesh Academy, I can proudly say that we have not turned a blind eye. We have taken responsibility for EVERY student that contacted us.
If any student still does not have a place for this school year, her parents should contact the office at 718-339-9880. They can also reach me at [email protected].
We believe that every NEFESH should have a school to attend.
#7: I’m not sure what Jewish news sites your frequent, but Agudas Yisrael of America has been fighting for close to, if not more than, a decade for exactly what you mention! If every jew signed up for public school, they would get bussing and an education for FREE.
I don’t get the authors comparison to Lakewood. In Lakewood there is a perpetual yearly problem that requires a Vaad to make sure that all girls are being placed. In Brooklyn, by and large all girls are placed in schools, without the Lakewood issues.
An unusual occurrence of a school closing down at the last minute, is not a reason to change the entire system. It is not an indictment of the system when an entire school’s student body cannot easily be absorbed by existing schools.
all of you must realize that the girls schools in flatbush for the most part are private business
so the principals and owners feel no responsibility and dont have to answer to anyone
they can charge what they want and disguise it as insurance fee registration fee
capital fund (for a building that was built 10 years ago)
etc etc
i pay full tuition for my girls but never a penny more its a private usiness and a good one as well
The article is missing a number of “pertinent” facts.
1. Most of the girls were not “without a school” until the school announced at a meeting on August 29 that they will not be opening for the 2016-2017 school year.
2. While the Rebbetzin tried to place the girls in other schools, there was not enough time for the parents to react to apply to other schools.
3. This was not solely a tuition related issue. There was a fine levied on the school by the Board of Education which led to it’s closing down.
An excellent and timely article by Rav Hoffman. I question only one statement:
“Girls that are out of school can suffer from depression and anxiety, and a feeling that they are not wanted…”
Why only girls?? This problem also occurs frequently with boys as well where some yeshivos are unwilling or unable to accommodate talmidim whose parents will require substantial tuition assistance or who have a been labled as “problem students” by other yeshivos they attended. A community-wide clearing house would be a great advance in chinuch.
It seems very few know and realize what’s doing in Chinuch Mosdos. What kind of comparison is this Lakewood? Here, a local Boro Park Mosed, for whatever reason, summoned the parents to a meeting two days prior to school and announced, “We are closed for good. Find a school”.
Unlike Lakewood, where local children are stuck. As one parent said, you have to be either affluent or rich to get into a school.
In Boro Park, Mosdos are קע”ה packed, besides for those that have offered space for a class or who ‘opened their doors wide’ to whoever they chose and quietly rejected the others.
Now R’ Yair, did you look into your own backyard and your neighbor’s? In your own community, in the Five Towns and Queens, there are many more children than Oz Vehodor’s locked out of Jewish schools because of horrendous, choking, brutal tuition.
What are you and Agudas Yisroel doing about it? For years and years all we have is articles writing about it in disbelief, while many a Mosad becomes big and important by making the parents bleed money way above their their Kochos.
Finally, kudos to Boro Park — without the fanfare, Rabbonim’s intervention and outside activists — in less than a week almost every single girl of Oz Vehodor has found a place. Yes, without the Askonim and without the active involvement of those who send the kids to the streets.
As a parent of a child in Oz Vehadar, I think a couple of points need to be added to the story. Firstly, I feel it was a terrible injustice that the school announced their intentions to close at the very end of August. The reason given was “financial”. The school indicated that the “amount of money owed simply would not allow for them to reopen”. Please tell us Rebbitzen, why you waited until the end of the summer to let us know, when you knew June 1 that you couldn’t continue running the school. It would have been difficult enough in June to find another school to CHOOSE for my child, rather than have to accept your “suggestion” that my child go to a school which my child and I both feel innappropriate for her.
Assival. Just read your article & would like to talk to you. Please let me know how I can reach you. I just got a kid from Oz V into a school.
Thanks,