NYS Yeshivos are facing a real threat. The State wants to control our chinuch.
New proposed State regulations, slated for the coming school year, would mean that:
· NYS does not recognize the educational value of Limudei Kodesh.
· NYS opens the door for education bureaucrats to impose curricular requirements that are antithetical to our values and way of life.
· NYS empowers local school boards to evaluate the faculty and curriculum at our Yeshivos.
· NYS allows anyone who claims they have a “grievance,” even if they did not attend the school, to challenge a finding that a school meets the government’s standards.
· NYS requires school boards to direct Yeshiva parents to move their children to another school if the board believes that their child’s Yeshiva is not substantially equivalent.
· NYS considers students in “non-equivalent” schools truant. Penalties to parents can even include jail time.
There is a comment period. Your Voice can avert the looming gezeiros on Torah chinuch.
Submit your opposing comment TODAY! The deadline is May 31.
Call 845.502.7000
Text ‘start’ to 888.595.1529
Sign at voice.torahumesorah.org
I hate to say it but NY may in secular decline and we may need to consider moving to a more vibrant area.
I’ve spoken to many Lubavitchers, even well-known rabbonoim and chassidisher yidden. A surprising proportion of them aren’t too opposed to the State requiring a core curriculum. For example, many feel that our yeshivos don’t properly teach literacy in Lashon Hakodesh, Yiddish, or English. They hope that along with quality English instruction, they’ll see improvements in the Holy subjects as well.
For this reason, it’s hard to find opposition to these rules among the regular people
This is not just about adding secular subjects. This is a much more ominous threat. They are looking to take control of assessing the credentials of the staff in yeshivos, including limudei kodesh teachers (whom they are non too well equipped to assess), and they are opening the door for any person, educated or not, disgruntled or not, to have the ability to report to the Local School Board that a yeshiva is substantially inequivalent to the public school (rachmana litzlan that we should aspire to be like them!), and this will allow the Board to come in an investigate… Read more »
In addition, they want to insist that our heilige kinderlach be taught about “alternative lifestyles” and other such immoral ideas, completely antithetical to our Torah and haskafah.
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What’s wrong with teaching basic subjects like English or Math?
Ditto reply, as mentioned above
There are perfectly fine yirey shomayim who get to learn chemistry and physics so that it doesn’t look like Chinese if they want to go to college instead of doing chinuch/sales!!!
We don’t have to keep our kids away from limudei chol during their critical period of learning. It’s very hard to recover – if ever!!!!
OT needs to take a look at the kids who are not going shlichus who are hurting!!!
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There are classic argument methods employed in this post – intentional misrepresented propositions (strawman argument) and intentional misleading or distracting presentations (red Herring argument), easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument. NYS is not judging the value of Limudei Kodesh. NYS feels there are subjects additional to Limudei Kodesh that are necessary for healthy human development – like the language of the country and generic logical tools. NYS wants education to include such subjects – not antithetical to Torah values – in curriculum. NYS wants outside people to make sure such subjects are being taught, appropriately. And NYS feels,… Read more »
You don’t need the Roman Army to advance your ideas. It’s been tried before.
Why would we be against teaching English in schools? Where’s the middle ground here?
Love how when defending learning English you misspelled the word
Look even Florida governer dose not want to let some sensitive topics to be presented as a study at age of 6 or 8… We are the last community that is family and kids oriented and it is a stability to have a good future… If the government want us to know math& English – give us a choice who to hire and how to spend the money and first of all PAY FULL FOR MY TUITION… if you do not pay – do not demand. We can supply good Math&Chemistry – there is lot of Chassidishe people who can… Read more »
If you want the gov to pay for your child’s tuition send them to public school.
We pay for public school (through taxes) and we still have to pay for yeshivah tuition. If they want to control what we teach in school they have to pay for our schools (or even better, they don’t pay and they don’t get involved).
Maybe we could work on coming up with a science curriculum that leaves our students well equipped for life and doesn’t compromise Torah values. So many ideas on science can be found in seforim…
if the state has control, does that mean that every Yiddishe child will have a cheder or school to go to?
Ronald Reagan once said that the 10 scariest words in the dictionary are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” Nothing good comes from the government managing things, it took them one month to repave Kingston avenue, you’re going to trust them with your children?
All our shoes are ruined… I do not want my kids to be brainwashed by so so many topics of not necessary knowledge at the early age, they can discover it later in life when they are stable adults with their own opinions and not brainwashed kids… Our zipcode public schools average is low so low that no one wants to move here so why government is not concerned about it, better education less crime But no- let’s do our kids Guinea pigs and improve the local statistics and say how well NYC teachers are doing Honestly we can teach… Read more »
It’s not the first time a government wants to mandate secular studies. Rabbonim (and also our Rebbes) were always against the government having involvement and control on Jewish chinuch. Once the government gets involved you can’t get them out. You don’t control the government they will control you. One minister of education will mandate a, b and c and the next minister d, e and f and so on. Until only certain Torah studies will be permitted in Yeshivas and the rest illegal… Afterwards try to change it back… “Who is a wise person? One who sees [and anticipates] the… Read more »
I am happy that change is coming for my people and might finally get a proper education that they deserve. The new regulations do not demonize hebrew studies just adds a few hours of secular studies for boys and girls futures for when they grow up and gives them the options for higher education and career paths. I understand that people are not happy with the way that education is coming into the schools and truthfully, many people want to see a change and be happy that something is being done rather than nothing. Instead of demonizing the new regulations,… Read more »
You are falling into the government’s trap. Like I commented above, this is an ominous attempt by the government to get one foot in the door. For a more comprehensive look at the danger, read this article: https://mishpacha.com/life-itself/
Don’t take government money and not provide a basic education.
Is there something wrong with developing a high level of literacy? We want to be the best we can be for our families, our Rebbe, ourselves, our people. We should know how to speak and write properly. Right now, some of us are not equipped to do so.
Who will choose and filter the Literacy for my child? Controversial topics, sensitive topics, topics that are not age appropriate in our community, but open in the mainstream, topics that are taboo in our community???
Our boys read books on Shabbes
We can’t let outside influences determine curriculum. It’s more than a little English or math. That’s only the way to open the door. Before you know it, they will require teaching gender issues, etc. Exactly as the public school system is required to do.
These comments are sad to read. You want your kids to learn English, Science etc. go to a Jewish day school, most of them teach secular studies on a high level. If you want your kids in a lubavitch institution with Lubavitcher kids then follow the Rebbe’s Horaos – chinuch al taharas hakodesh. Most of our children have brighter futures than the average public school kid. The Rebbe made each of us a leader.
How did all those boys prepare for the yahadus curriculum in English if the yeshivas didn’t teach them?
The govt is already running the schools r”l, they can decide which kids can come to school and which can’t 🙁
Give $ to the yeshiva and we will hire the best Math and English teacher from the Harvard University but only with our own curriculum
I want to know what exactly my kids will read
Family &Good Morals my top priority
All else they can learn when they are adults
Our fathers and Rabeim faught against things like this with Mesiras Nefesh BeGashmius starting from the times of Antiochus. This is not about teaching English in Yeshivas. This is about the State interfering with our Chinuch. As the Tzemach Tzedek said (before one of many imprisonments) our bodies may be in Golus but our Neshamos are certainly not. There’s no compromises here. Not 1 inch!
I am shocked by many of the comments here. Have they not learned or listened to the Rebbe’s Sichos about learning al taharas hakodesh??
How can Lubavitchers even suggest that maybe it’s not so bad if we learn English or math in school.
Even more so if the government will be in charge of the curriculums we all know that the government won’t stop by just English, Math and science but will make them learn all these subjects that are totally against yidishkeit (as other governments around the world have already tried enforcing curriculums with these things).