By COLlive reporter
A new initiative aimed at keeping top teachers in the Crown Heights neighborhood has grown to include all Lubavitch Crown Heights Schools since being announced on COLlive.com two weeks ago.
The new initiative is being launched by Zaki Tamir, an attorney and the Chairman of Vaad Hakohol of Crown Heights, along with various educators and donors, and will offer incentives of $150,000 towards the purchase of a home or condo in Crown Heights to teachers who are nominated by their schools and are voted by a special committee.
The program was inspired by an initiative being started in Oholei Torah, the flagship Chabad boys school, and is “designed to help address the growing concern in our community regarding the rising cost of housing and lack of affordability,” Zaki Tamir, who is spearheading the initiative, told COLlive.com.
“This program will address a way we can assist the best of our own, the scholars and the melamdim of our children,” he said.
“The teachers that develop the character and education for our children are not able to sustain a dignified existence in our community, and even with the increased salaries and other incentives, it is virtually impossible for a professional teacher to save enough for a down payment on a house in or around Crown Heights,” Tamir said.
The program was initiated by Oholei Torah, and is now being launched to be available to any Crown Heights school wishing to participate.
A teacher who is nominated for the grant will receive $150,000.00 towards the down payment on a house in Crown Heights or the surrounding areas, once he or she is nominated by the school where they are employed and approved by the Committee (comprised of the contributing members of the fund), upon signing of a long-term contract with the school of at least 7 years.
“The teachers of our children must be professional and smart, and kind, and dedicated, we want the best for our kids,” Tamir stresses. “This is not a charity campaign; this is called paying into our own interests. Our educators must know they are at the top of the list of communal priorities,” he said.
For a teacher to be nominated, the program requires the participation of their school, which must invest at least $50,000.00 into any individual nominated by the school. That amount would be matched by double to reach a total of $150K.
All Lubavitch schools located in Crown Heights are eligible to participate with a showing of proof of funds for the number of nominees it submits to the committee. There is no minimum. A school is permitted to participate with proof that it reserved $50,000.00 and submit only one nominee.
All educators that are employed by a Lubavitch school located in Crown Heights are eligible for nomination by the school, the rules and guidelines may vary according to the rules established by each school. A school is permitted to submit the application and nomination of an educator even if that educator already owns a house, but the application should be direct about how the grant would be used towards the spirit of this effort, eg “the refinance of a jumbo mortgage to a 15-year” or “a mortgage payoff,” for example.
A teacher may also purchase a two-bedroom condo in Crown Heights (even if it is too small for the family size), without moving into that unit, he/she can monetize that purchase over a very short time to afford a down payment for a larger house with the profits on the sale of the initial smaller unit.
The multi-million dollar initiative will be funded by local philanthropists and businesses in Crown Heights.
What is needed now, Tamir says, are Crown Heights residents who care about the shechuna and the future of our children, who will step up and pledge to help make this initiative a reality.
“People should understand how easy it could be for a regular working person to help in this effort,” he says. “See below how others have done it!”
Here are individuals who have stepped up in support of our shared interest in the future of Crown Heights:
1. Shmuel Albukerk: $100,000.00 (distributed $5,000.00 per application first 20 approved)
2. Zaki Tamir: $100,000.00 (distributed $5,000.00 per application first 20 approved)
3. Mendy Zulauf: $50,000.00 (distributed $2,500.00 per application first 20 approved)
4. Aaron Fershtman: $50,000.00 (distributed $2,500.00 per application first 20 approved)
5. Eyal Yanyak: $50,000.00 (distributed $2,500.00 per application first 20 approved)
“This is our community – your participation will indicate the interest we agree to collectively invest,” Tamir says. “It is a promise that if I make it my business to care for the Rebbe’s children, the Rebbe makes it his business to care for me and you!
“Anyone giving to tzedakah in this way will see the Rebbe’s open blessings for the ability to give much much more!”
Waiting for that project to happen. Tuition is a real issue a large part of the community struggles with. When will someone take initiative to lower tuition costs across the board??
Crown heights tuitions are one of the cheapest in the country, and the VAST majority of people don’t pay close to full price.
Can you please show me some evidence of what you state here? I wanna know if I am wrong in thinking that tuition became unaffordable in CH.
Atlanta: https://www.cmchatlanta.org/tuition
Grade 1-3 – $13,975.00
Grade 4-5 – $14,500.00
Grade 6-8 – $14,800.00
Miami: https://lecfl.com/registration/school-fees-information/
nfant/Toddler/Pre-Nursery Play Group – Full Day – $9,900.00
Infant/Toddler/Pre-Nursery Play Group – Half Day (Morning) – $5,250.00 Infant/Toddler/Pre-Nursery Play Group – Half Day (Afternoon) – $4,650.00
Nursery and Kindergarten – $9,900.00
Pre 1A – $13,500.00
Grades 1 – 8 Girls – $13,950.00
Grades 1- 5 Boys – $13,950.00
Grades 6-8 Boys – $14,950.00
Beis Chana Girls High School – Grades 9-12 – $14,450.00
Klurman Mesivta Boys High School 9-12 – $15,450.00
Florida give $7,000 tuition vouchers per kid in “low income” families, Georgia give up to $11,300.
In crown heights, we just have less kids because of the tuition burden.
And this is Bais Rivkah’s fees (the boy’s schools aren’t publicly available):
Tuition for Preschool – Grade 8 $8,770
Tuition for Grade 9 – Grade 12 $9,770
That’s because the people there get government funding to pay for the school of their choice
Oh really? do you know how many people aren’t paying full tuition yet are taking vacations in Aruba and shop every season for girls dresses that go upwards of $70 a piece for their little meidel all of eight years old? Kids boutique shop prices are prohibitive for kids clothes! is that where the shchuna has come to?? that you cant afford more than a dress or two each kid in your own neighborhood so you’re forced to shlep to williamsburg to stores that have great prices? And how about restaurants? And the expensive plane rides every Sukkos, Pesach, and… Read more »
rome wasnt build in a day! come on, you cant transform crown heights overnight let them deal with one problem at a time
Sounds like a good idea, but I really just wanted to compliment Muli Berger on the beautiful picture
“It is a promise that if I make it my business to care for the Rebbe’s children, the Rebbe makes it his business to care for me and you!”
If they or he cares about the rebbe’s children why not first put money towards lowering the increasing rise in the cost of tuition? And after parents can afford tuition, then move on to buying the teachers houses. Because if we don’t there won’t be any students left in crown heights for the teachers to teach.
Why does tuition keep on rising?
CH has some of the most affordable tuition.
At least if your paying we now know we will have some good teachers.
If CH has “some of the most affordable tuition” Why is it that more than half of us parents can’t afford to pay in full? Did it ever occur to think as to why people can afford/don’t pay in full every year?
Start living lower maintenance on other things…
bungalows
expensive sheitels….
vacations
siyum sefer torahs almost every week
lets start plugging in money to our own community
Do the parents who can’t afford to pay in full buy matching new clothes for their kids every season? Do they eat out? Do they travel on planes? All things my family have minimized or don’t do(my kids are in high quality hand me downs from gemachim and friends) so we can afford full tuition which for elementary school is 15k+ per kid in our out of town community
Baruch HaShem!
This is amazing news for our community!!!
Yasher koach Zaki for being a major push behind this!!!
Our kids deserve the best chinuch. You put your money where your mouth is.
Yashar Koach!
This is a community changing initiative!
Beauituful.
May this be with Hatzlacha!
one teacher/Rebbe from each school wil be helped with a house while other teachers don’t even get paid on time!
That its a great idea but certainly not the best in a bigger level, because its skips the part that c.h has with non jewish people in the apartments all over ch (go for example to another chassidick town if you find something near like this…) Plus all the newer building investemnt (sadly from religious jews from another communities..) thats are made primairly for non jews to live in ch.. All this things take a negative toll on rent cost (plus on who know what other factors) , which its NOT addressed in this campain… The ideal would have been… Read more »
This is such a heartwarming display of ahavas yisroel. however I wonder if we are looking past the main issue: housing is unaffordable for most in crown heights. The market has risen dramatically in the last decade. Does it surprise anyone that people are opting to move out of the shechuneh and into areas like Pomona or Kingston, PA? You can buy a spacious house, with a garage, pool, high ceilings, the works, and walk away with a quarter million dollar change in your pocket that would have been gone had you bought in Crown Heights. I don’t blame anyone,… Read more »
Im sayind this over and over and some people dont like it Like you say, should something be done for the whole community regarding living here, for starters will be to have ch for jewsih people at least where the landlords are chabad And dont let any other from other place (including sadly other chasidim) to build places that are not for jewish people, (try it out going to the homeplaces of the chasidim that come here and do the same to them, your building wont last before it will be destroyed..) Its sad and we know how cherished is… Read more »
..we may as well bring up the total lack of appreciation that teachers get from parents. Why do so many parents run to complain that their dear child is sitting next to a kid he doesn’t like (message to child: your comfort is more important than ahavas yisroel) etc etc etc and then for Purim of course a nice shalach manos, but where’s the letters? The heartfelt letters of appreciation that someone is dedicated to teaching your child every single day and instill in him a good measure of Yiras Shamayim? It’s time to pick up the phone and thank… Read more »
maybe speak for urself i personally send a honey cake for RH, chip in w the class for Chanukah gelt for the teacher, send a nice shalach manis,and cheese buns b4 shavuos. Ofc end of year gifts as well (cookbook for morahs, good umbrella for rebbis)….so dont badmouth the parents since most of us are very appreciative ty
This endeavor is AMAZING! SO special to be part of a community that cares!!!! Maybe one day they’ll have this for all teachers!!!
-an appreicative CH resident