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If the fear is intermarriage and assimilation, I believe that South Florida has the lowest intermarriage rate in the United States.
The biggest strengh of Charedim is their dedication to Yiddishkeite, but it is also their biggest weakness
What do you mean that dedication to Yiddishkeit is a weakness?
Reu, even if you aren’t inaccurate in that, that point is meaningless to this discussion and situation.
Do people not realize that there are tens of thousands of Jews in public schools? That the intermarriage rate as something like 50%? That most Jews in America aren’t shomer Shabbos? Does anyone not know that?
“….if we were to truly see …how many Jewish lives are being extinguished thanks to assimilation and intermarriage, we would be even more horrified”
I would much rather my children go on and live their lives with whatever yiddeeshkeit they might get through attending after school “Hebrew school”, attending jewish-themed youth activities, attending services in a non-orthodox shul, etc. than having their lives literally extinguished with multiple wounds from an AR15 shot at close range. Your use of the term “extinguished” in a spiritual context is a poor choice in the near-term although I understand your intent
A spiritual life that is extinguished is a far greater tragedy than a physical life that is extinguished.
There are many baalei tshuva who attended public school right through high school. Obviously, if they had been gunned down in a school shooting, they never would have been able to become baalei tshuva. To answer the original question, yes, it’s less of a tragedy. Orthodox Jews are still a minority of American Jews. Even though Orthodox Jews have many more children per family, I suspect there are still more school age heterodox children that Orthodox ones. Hence the majority of American Jewish children attend public schools because their parents want their children in public schools. Tuition is not the issue. Given the choice of sending their children to a public school, a private secular school, or a Jewish school, even if they were all tuition-free, very few heterodox parents would choose the Jewish school.
I am truly horrified by some of the posts here, accusing schools of charging “too much tuition” because “they can.” While there are certainly some schools that take advantage, my experience (running a high school in an out of town community) with my city’s elementary school-as I know is the case with other schools-has been an open door policy. No Jewish students are turned away because of inability to pay. Additionally, tuition for the elementary school grades is a relatively reasonable ten thousand dollars. A very small percentage of the parent body is able to pay even that. The rebbeim are moser nefesh and often dont receive the (meager) paychecks due to them because the school just doesnt have the funds. (Perhaps the schools need to due a better job fundraisng, but that is beyond the discussion here.)And people have the audacity to accuse the schools of charging too much? We need baalebatim to step up and cover the gaps. And we need people to understand that the chinuch of their children is the most important thing one can spend money on, after food, shelter, and clothing. (As an aside, if a school doesnt take a student because they cannot pay the full tuition, that is also a tragedy…)
To answer op, id say that yes, it is a tragedy. But i dont believe anyone here can honestly say they actually feel that way. (Kinda reminds me of how students scream in protest in schools and universities about causes that they don’t really feel angered by. Meaning it wont get close to passing a kotzker test. Lkovod mine kovod.) Therefore, it isnt so appropriate to equate the two and make believe you really care that much.
If the fear is intermarriage and assimilation, I believe that South Florida has the lowest intermarriage rate in the United States. (and to other comments)
Thatl last one generation if theyre lucky.
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