Far Rockaway, Queens – I am appalled, and if the situation was not so serious, it would be laughable. The recent guidelines set forth by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for all non-public schools strongly insinuate that all Yeshivas provide inadequate education. This is wrong on so many levels.
First, in my experience as an Assemblywoman representing a strong orthodox Jewish community, and as a lifelong resident of the Rockaways, I can say that the Yeshivas’ reputation precedes them. But merit cannot lay in a reputation. Furthermore, the successful products of the Yeshivas would be enough verification of the high caliber of what is being taught. During my first term, I have visited classrooms, spoken with teachers, parents, students and administrators. I have been so impressed, and I am so proud of each of the schools within the district. But the facts and figures speak for themselves.
While I am not here to provide hard numbers and spreadsheets of accomplishments, I can assure NYSED that the parents and the schools are devoted to these children, their education, and their future. I will fight for and defend the rights of Yeshiva parents to send their children to the schools they choose. Prior to presenting these guidelines, NYSED leadership should have and still must communicate with Yeshiva leaders and parents to understand the needs of the Jewish religious population. NYSED should not conduct its business based on insurgent opinion articles and baseless hatred. That is why I have called upon NYSED Commissioner MaryEllen Elia to halt the impending plans and subsequent measures, until she truly understands the incredible services that Yeshivas provide to its students and to society as a whole. Let us educate the Education Department to let them know that Yeshivas do not need strict guidelines to fulfill their mission of educating the souls and minds of Jewish children.
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19 Responses
Thank you Congressman for your strong support! Your letter is right on the money! We were always and are today a nation who was fully engaged and dedicated to the development of our progeny – in fact that is the core, the very essence our our people and it’s been so for millenia.
Our matriarch Rachel beseeched our father Jacob for a child – as if that was up to him – and she considered her infertility parallel to death! Why? Because one’s inability to educate and raise progeny is akin to death! Thanks for reaching out to NYSED and “educating them as to who we as a people are!
Yaapchik; please, she’s not in Congress and she’s not a man! She is a NY state Assemblywoman!
Your last sentence should read; who we are as a people.
Please, don’t write posts proving the point of our secularist opponents.
Great, but she says nothing about all those hundreds of Moisdos that Do Not teach secular studies at all.
That is exactly why we can not leave the education process up to the Menhalem and Owners of Yeshivos, because they are only interested in their own Moised. Yes, your Moised might have a decent secular education, but why don’t you care about so many Moisdos that don’t ?
Who is going to worry about this bright Chasidishe boy who has a great brain but is not the this entrepreneur type. Without the State’s intervention, he will end up packing shelves in some warehouse or do deliveries of boxes.
Thank you Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato for fighting for justice, against discrimination and for the truth.
Finally someone gets it..
ader,
you sound like Yair Lapid
Hymie:
No. The mothers of these uneducated Boys want a Logical argument. They’re not interested in Lapid.
Adler,
Most parents send their to these schools BECAUSE of their minimal secular studies program.The mothers of the boys you write about can choose from many schools that do have a proper secular program.
I know because I am one of them. I would NOT send my child to a yeshiva with a robust secular department. Do I not have the right to educate my child the way I want?
ader, you are right…the majority of public school graduates go on to college and get high income jobs- not! A very big percentage of public school students are on welfare!
I’m not saying that a BASIC of English language skills MUST be taught in yeshiva, but an intensive secular education is irrelevant. Any yeshiva student with a basic English language education can go to college and get a degree!
A logical argument for allowing gentiles to control our chinuch?
I dont follow.
To Ader
Do you work for Naftoli MosterMaybe you are Naftoli Moser. If the chasidisher yeshivos wanted your input on how to educate their children maybe they will ask you. Until then mind your own business
Excellent letter! Kudos!
Ader.
There are plenty of chassidishe boys that can barely sign their names, who are multi millionaires or better.
Many are doing much better than those who toiled in secular studies.
Know why?
Because it comes from Shamayim, not from State sponsored education.
That’s something commissioners — and even many of our own Yidden — don’t believe in.
Does the State require any illegals too go to school before they lavish them with every handout ever conceived by a liberal socialist? Many if not most end up never being able to utter a single syllable in English.
But you have a problem with Jews receiving aid for Yeshivos that teach Torah.
The only part of society that has very bright young men doing menial jobs are graduates of yeshivas without an english department.
Those milioneers that we like to mention are a small but eye-catching minority.
Galicianer: For every ONE of the “chassidishe boys that can barely sign their names, who are multi millionaires”, there are probably a hundred chassideshe boys being churned out by some of these yeshivas who are taking food stamps and welfare payments. Of course there are some exceptions, but this frequently repeated dribble about all the frum guys who are millionaires being the norm is a joke. That being said, the NYS educational bureaucrats clearly overreached and are being rightfully criticized for doing so.
Ader,
your comment does NOT reflect the mainstream Community. If a Yeshiva student is packing boxes in a warehouse it is because he wants to . Every Yeshiva student has the ability to get where he wants in Life ! Yeshiva gives them the ability and strength to dream big and accomplish ALL! Look at the biggest realtors in NYC. They are graduates of the Yeshiva system. In fact, many yeshiva students are wealthier than the Lawyers and accountants they hire that graduated from Public schools and prestigious Colleges.
Ader, it is very clear that you are not speaking with the truth or about the TRUTH. If you would, it would be that the government should not interfere in ANY changes we need. Every system can improve and so do the Yeshivas always need improvement but it should come from within. We should work on what we need to improve based on our long proven system.
When government interferes in a school system like ours it cannot work as their own schools are the worst example.
In addition, when government interferes it is usually doing it for the wrong reasons. Either someone with hatred and wrong info convinced them that we are no good or they really mean their pockets.
Ader, if you truly believe that government should interfere in our private school system , do you also want government to poke their noses into your private life and tell you exactly how to run your day to day interactions?
I also forgot to mention praise for Assemblywoman Pfeffer. She is very courageous for standing up to what is right!! I would like to see Chuckie (the self proclaimed Shomer Yisroel) do the same!!
Thanks Assemblywoman! Hashem blessings on you!!
To give explanation to “Galicianer ” comment:
When he writes that there are many yeshiva students millionaires , he is right!
There are many Yeshiva students that REALLY made it financially and then there are those that successfully made it otherwise!
The comment about some of them not being able to sign their name, I would like to explain:
The very same person CAN sign his name in either Hebrew or Yiddish and CAN speak, read and write fluent at least one or sometimes three other languages other than English . Does that make them less than the public school students?
Some Yeshiva graduating students speak and write and read in Yiddish, Hebrew, Hungarian , Polish, Spanish in addition to English. Becoming successful in not contingent on the English language only!!
Think of the power of several languages!! That to me is success already!!