By COLlive reporter
Photos by Yossi Percia
Crown Heights Jewish Community Council hosted the leadership of the OU yesterday for a meeting to address the difficulties that Jewish Day School parents are having meeting their tuition obligations.
Representing the OU was Rabbi Steven Burg, the National Director of the OU, Maury Litwack, OU Director of Political Affairs, Yehuda Friedman, of the OU Dept of Synagogue Services, and Michael Cohen, the OU representative to NY State Government in Albany.
Administrators of some of the major Yeshivos in Crown Heights joined Vaad Hakohol members, led by Chairman Zaki Tamir at the meeting.
The OU representatives detailed initiatives they have begun to reduce the tuition burden on Day School parents around the country, both by teaching schools how to better access government funding and by working with State legislators to create tax credit programs or other means of support to parents struggling to pay tuition.
They emphasized the importance of involving parents and community members in the political process, by ensuring that eligible voters in the community are registered and go out to vote, and by training community leaders to be able to more effectively lobby their elected officials.
Members of the Beis Din, Rabbi Yaacov Schwei and Rabbi Yosef Braun joined the meeting briefly to welcome the guests.
In his brief remarks to the meeting, Rabbi Schwei focused on the word “Union” in the name of the OU, and his hope that the meeting will lead to better unity between the various communities and groups.
Rabbi Braun explained how the opening of Parshas Vayikra expresses the Aibershter’s love for Moshe as an introduction to every instruction. Rabbi Braun drew a parallel to the agenda of this meeting, and how the prelude to achievement is warm relations within the community.
Maury Litwack invited the school leaders present to make use of the OU’s services to help them make better use of available government funding to private schools.
The Crown Heights meeting is one of the first that will be held in communities all over New York, New Jersey and other states to involve the communities in the OU’s campaign to better sensitize political leaders to the needs of the Orthodox Jewish community and particularly to Day Schools.
Michael Cohen, who is a former aide to the NY State Senate Majority Leader, said that Crown Heights is fortunate to already have strong connections with government, through the work of Chanina Sperlin, CHJCC’s Vice President for Governmental Affairs.
He said that the goal of the current drive was to develop a broad leadership in all NY communities that would be all working together on the same issues that were important to the Frum world.
Rabbi Eli Cohen, Executive Director of Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, mentioned that the meeting was taking place on the twentieth anniversary of the stroke that the Rebbe endured in 1992.
He reminded the gathering that the Rebbe had placed a major focus on addressing the “double taxation” of families who send their children to Day Schools.
Cohen also asked the OU to work on the Rebbe’s call for a Moment of Silence at the beginning of the Public School day.
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this sounds like a great beginning- to #7 – sorry most us us who need the training geshem provides can not afford it!!!!
hi Doc. Davis
#9. I was addressing the cost not the quality of chinunch in FL. to #10 Please read the later part of the comment, 20K is after a 50% break
we also pay 20k for 3 kids. i know for a fact that some dont pay close to full and also in Fl i met a few who dont pay near full. so it depends on family size-income etc
In Fl we may pay $10,000 per child but the kids are getting a great education its worth every penny
In FL we pay20K for 3 kids. And this after getting a 50% tuition break.
Unfortunatly the mosdo in CH squeeze parents that they destroy sholom bayis
I don’t know what assistance can be offered on a consistent and sustainable basis, but I do know that the Geshem Training Center located on Kingston and Montgomery is a great way to help all parents and even our children of marriageable age to develop the skill sets needed to obtain a competitive job. With tuitions taking up one third to half of ones expenses, then it behooves the leadership and ‘powers to be’ in this community to encourage and support the very first professional training program in Crown Heights.
Jewish Education should be our most important political agenda!
We should shut down all NYC jewish schools at the same time and overwhelm the school district – they will be forced to give us the proper funding that we need.
Let’s quit this monkey business. We need immediate action before it gets worse. People are contemplating sending their children to public school. In the old country the Yidden had Mesiras Nefesh – now its our turn. At least 50% of the country would get behind such a movement .
Lets not wait any longer!! Demand more action from our leaders!
Will the administrators of our non- “major yeshivas” in the be notified of the available funding and of contact numbers for those who can help them?
Here’s a list, in case you don’t have one (if I left anyone out, please add your name):
Beth Rivkah
Bnos Menachem
Bais Chaya Mushka
Bnos Chomesh
Ohr Menachem
Darchei Menachem
Lamplighters
Mosdos Day Care Center
Ohel Sarah Day Care Center
Cheder at the Ohel
ULY of Ocean Parkway
I hope this initiative will benefit ALL of our parents and ALL of our schools.
No matter how much government funds the schools will get, they will NEVER EVER lower tuition, they will continue to cry and complain about expenses. Schools will NEVER EVER disclose to parents any increase in government funding. It’s nice that hey had a Meetting with pictures etc. no real help will come out of it. If they really wanted to lower tuition they will implemented strong fundraising, accountebilety of funds, expenses and real political pressure.
Way to go, and Sholom B’roishom!
Kol HaKavod to Sholom Rosenfeld who does not leave one stone unturned in trying to help the yeshiva parents with tuition. I find him to be most understanding and accommodating.