It’s different OOT>>>>>We work together as one community

[Ex-CTLawyer]

OOT, only one day school/yeshiva can be viable in most communities. It must serve all of Orthodox and traditional Jews across the spectrum. Here in Connecticut the oldest day school in the USA is now 80 years old. It has just merged with the local Hebrew High School and will be on a combined campus in two years.
A major community benefactor has stepped in and guaranteed $1.5 Million in tuition assistance for ALL student over the next 5 years.
Students are of all groups: MO, Chasidic, Sephardic. Many go on to college, and others to Yeshiva or Seminary.

“WEST HARTFORD – On July 1, the merger of the Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy and Hebrew High School of New England (HHNE) will be formalized to create the Hartford area’s first comprehensive Modern Orthodox Jewish school for students in grades K-12.

While classes at the newly formed New England Jewish Academy will continue to be held at both of the schools’ current campuses during the 2019-2020 school year, it is expected that the new school will be housed entirely in HHNE’s West Hartford building by the 2020-2021 school year when an elementary school wing is added.

And if Jewish community leaders Ann and Jeremy Pava get their wish, a tuition subsidy they are providing will spur more families to send their children to the new Jewish school.

With the Pavas’ gift every New England Jewish Academy student will receive a major subsidy ranging from $7,000 to $10,000, depending upon the grade.

According to the Pavas, who are residents of West Hartford, all New England Jewish Academy students will receive the tuition subsidies, even those already enrolled, and the subsidies will remain in place for each student for a minimum of five years. Additional scholarships will still be available for families who need them.”

Yes, for those in the NYC immediate area, Rockland County, Northern Jersey and Lakewood, MO may be a dirty word. But OOT it is these schools that serve the children of all frum Jews, be it the Chabad rabbis, the other Chasidim working at area hospitals, etc.
Even the Day school in the New Haven area that was founded in 1944 and still run by Chabad is MO and Torah Mesorah affiliate. MY shul Rav in New Haven and his father Rav in Hartford, biggies in the Agudah world sent all their children to the Hartford and New Haven schools before they went off to TV or seminary.

[Shopping613 🌠]

It’s not all sparkles and rainbows.
Living out of town as a kid is basically like “Well you don’t NEED to have actual friends, but you only have 10 girls in your class, so pick 3 who aren’t the worst and spend your time with them”.

Believe me, in a class of 10 girls, it was made clear who was modern, who was chassidish and who’s father’s were in kollel.

It was such a nasty environment growing up. I cannot speak for every grade in my school, but most of my siblings had issues in their grades and I know personally the 2 grades above and below me did too.

No place is perfect, just saying.

[Amil Zola]

No place is perfect is a reasonable possit Shopping. I’m sorry that you had such struggles and such a poor experience. I’m quite happy with my west of the Mississippi community. Our schools are not as heavily endowed as the ones CTL examples but they have full support of the entire Jewish community regardless of derech. No parent is overburdened with $40k+ tuition.

[lakewhut]

One school isn’t good for everybody. There are out of towers who intermarry. Nothing is perfect.

[MRS PLONY]

This is the first I’m hearing about it. West Hartford, CT? Wow.

[Shopping613 🌠]

@Amil Zola

No place is perfect. I just want to point out the downfalls of living out of town, and remind people that there needs to be things to be looked into.

[Ex-CTLawyer]

@Shopping613
Not every school is the same.
When our children were young and we still lived in New Haven we had a choice of 2 local day schools, 2 boys high schools and a girls high school. Within a 30/45 minute drive were 3 additional day schools and 2 more high schools. So, if one school wasn’t a match we had choices.
That said, due to white flight, our children never had a situation where there was only one class per grade in their K-8 days, The local public schools would have 3 classrooms per grade and the day schools would have a minimum of 2.
My eldest sister was rebbetzin in a small community in northern New England that had a tiny day school. There were only about 6-8 children per grade. After 2 years she insisted that her husband find a pulpit in a community that was more conducive to her children’s education and social development. B”H he agreed and found a good position just west of Boston where he was Rav for 30+ years until he chose to retire.

My post was not to encourage people to move OOT, but to demonstrate that OOT Jews tend to band together for the good of the whole community, not just to support one sect or group. For example, the New Haven Federation has both the Chabad Day School (founded in 1944) and the Schecter Day School founded in the 1970s as constituent agencies receiving funds raised from the broad spectrum of the Jewish community.

[lakewhut]

In some places, modern people cause problems for Yeshivas.

[Joseph]

Schecter Day Schools aren’t Orthodox.

[Ex-CTLawyer]

@Joseph
I did not say they were. I used this as an example of how OOT Jewish Federations will fund ALL Jewish Day Schools/Yeshivas in the community. Money from all donors supporting Jewish Education. Most of the money is raised from non-Frum Jews but they value the existence of the Orthodox schools so they help fund them.

In the 1980s and 90s the New Haven Federation also helped fund the Gan School (K-8) and Tikvah High School for Girls which were Litvish. These schools have since closed due to problems with headmaster/principal and scandals which I’ll not repeat here.
Federation also helps fund Eiruv, Mikvah, derelict cemeteries which may not be important to most Jews in town, but are worthy of support by the Jewish community as a whole.

[Author]

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