How One School Stepped Up During COVID

By Shternie Lichter

Although the final chapter on Covid-19 is still waiting to be written, there are many lessons that can be gleaned from the way schools and institutions of higher learning responded to the near-daily challenges it posed.

Even before the words “social distancing” became commonplace in our parlance, administrators from every Jewish yeshiva and girl’s school were hard at work trying to figure out how to transition to online or teleconference learning. Few had prior experience in this space, and most panicked at the thought of tens of thousands of students sitting home for months on end without an ability to continue their education.

At the elementary level, there were few places to turn. Chabad’s Shluchim Online School was one notable exception. At the high school level, there were similarly minimal options. Seminaries, especially those in Israel which emptied of their students virtually overnight, were also left to wonder how to continue the year.

Many turned to an unlikely resource; an institution that is neither an elementary, high school, or even a seminary. Instead they turned to Sara Schenirer, a local institution that partners with many local colleges to offer degrees to the frum community, and Sara Schenirer rose to the occasion.

“Hashgachah pratis put us in the right place at the right time,” explains Rabbi Elazar Meisels, dean of Sara Schenirer. “Already four years ago, we made the decision to create an entire online division that would service students beyond the tri-state area. We invested heavily in this venture to ensure that the program would be live-online so that the learning experience would closely resemble a live classroom. Our goal was to ensure that every frum student who sought an affordable degree in an uncompromised environment would have access to it. The online division has been amazing success. One of the biggest beneficiaries has been the Chabad shluchim who are scattered across the globe and who valued the specialized education we are offering. Never did we dream, however, that one day we’d be playing a major role in helping yeshivas and girl schools across the country transition to online learning.”

Yet, as the nation locked down, administrators from Jewish schools across the country reached out to Rabbi Meisels and his team for direction and advice on how to transition to online learning. The Sara Schenirer IT introduced many of them to Zoom and Adobe Connect, shared tips on how to ensure effective online learning, and held their hands through the initial rough stages.

“Early on, one of our college partners made headlines when a few of their students contracted Covid-19. They were forced to close a few weeks before all other colleges did. Having seen the power of the Sara Schenirer online division, they simply replicated it for their entire school and didn’t skip a beat,” shares Rabbi Meisels.

Although the summer semester had to be entirely online due to the lockdown, Sara Schenirer Crown Heights reopened their in-class division for Fall semester.

Once again, ingenuity had to be employed to ensure the safety of the students, while still maintaining the integrity of the education. Local shuls were rented to ensure adequate space for classes to be held, the number of classes that were offered per course were trimmed down, and some courses remained entirely online.

“It’s all about being creative and doing what’s best for our students while still adhering to the CDC guidelines and NYS regulations. We want to give the students every opportunity to succeed even if it entails additional work and expense on our part. That’s what Sara Schenirer is all about, and it came through clearly during the entire pandemic,” says Mrs. Aidella Avtzon, director of the Sara Schenirer Crown Heights branch.

Sara Schenirer is not a college and does not itself offer degrees. Instead, it partners with outstanding local colleges to offer all degree programs. Their college partners include Concordia College NY, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Manhattanville College, College of Mount St. Vincent, St. Peter’s University, and others.

“We choose our college partners very carefully,” explains Rabbi Meisels. “They must be culturally sensitive, affordable, and interested in accommodating the needs of the frum community. Everything must be done according to Torah and proper hashkafah and our college partners work with us closely to ensure these standards.”

Individuals who wish to learn more about these programs are invited to attend an ONLINE Open House this Monday and Wednesday evening, November 16th & 18th at 8:00 PM.

Because interest in the programs is high, each Open House will focus on a different program. The Monday, November 16th session will be dedicated to the undergraduate programs including BA in Psychology, BS in Accounting, and BBA in Business Administration. The Wednesday, November 18th, session, will be devoted to the masters programs including MS ED, ABA, and MSW programs.

“Because of Covid 19, many students did not join a degree program in Fall, and I strongly encourage anyone seeking an undergraduate degree to join our Virtual Open House on Monday, November 16th to learn all about our undergraduate options. At the graduate level, we are also expanding our January options and we’ll be discussing those at our Virtual Open House on Wednesday, November 18th.” said Mrs. Batsheva Shonek, Director of Sara Schenirer.

Pre-registration is required. To register for one or both of the Open House sessions, please click here to register through our website, or email [email protected] and indicate which session/s you would like to attend. 

All attendees of the Open House will also receive a $50 voucher good towards their application fee to Sara Schenirer.