By COLlive reporter
The continuous teachers strike of the Chabad girls school of Bais Rivkah, which stretched out over the holiday of Pesach, will be coming to an end this week, a source said.
A person involved in the behind the scenes negotiations of the flagship school of 2,000 students said that now “the matter is in the hands of the attorneys.”
“We are working diligently to resolve the outstanding issues between the board and the current administration. Please understand the matter is in the hands of the attorneys and we are pushing them to finalize this today. We will keep you posted,” the board told COLlive.
Teachers of the school have been on strike for nearly a month, while the newly-installed board has been waiting for the past year to become legally recognized.
This coincided with the teachers not being paid for many weeks, despite promises a year ago that the administration would step down and give full control to the new board.
The new board has been working tirelessly to meet with the teachers and hear their concerns, while reassuring them that once this is finalized, this kind of chaos and long overdue payrolls should never happen again.
“We told the teachers that we will personally be paying them 3 payrolls, out of our personal funds, since there is no money in the school system,” a member of the board told COLlive. “We also got rabbi Shemtov to guarantee their back pay.”
“Once this is signed this kind of strike should never, ever happen again. The system will be fixed, there will be a real board, with transparency,” he said.
Due to pressure from parents, the board considered starting school without the legal agreement being finalized between the board and administration, but the board was cautioned against doing that, the source said.
“We were warned that if we do that, and there’s no agreement, we can end up back where we were about 2 months ago and be challenged again. We did that the first time, and gave our own money to cover payroll, and then we were challenged. The teachers know this, and we are all waiting for the lawyers to put all these agreements together in final form and get it signed,” he said.
“It’s still a possibility it will happen today, we are pushing for this to happen. If so, there is the possibility that school could begin tomorrow,” he said.
You want the teachers who teach your daughters/sisters/future mothers to volunteer? work for free?
Is that really what you meant?
I worked in a school in New Jersey when asked if they had any financial problems and paid on time they said no to the problem and yes to the paying. The teacher that asked this question was never paid on time. So who was lying? If you are promised a salary you should receive it if the school has no intention of paying or can’t pay then don’t promise a salary.
Chinuch Habonos is not “work” as in “job”. It is a calling.
Does a mashpia charge for his/her time? Is being a mashpai a “job” with a salary??
Does “working” at mivtzoyim pay a salary?
These are all callings. Do NOT expect payment for them!
If you are looking for money – look elsewhere!
Teachers to strike is a serious decision against the PUBLIC and caused grave sin on multiple levels including bitul torah u’mitzvos. Rabbeim are FORBIDDEN to strike according to Halacha (the rules which many of of try to follow even if our logic may not agree with it). Do girls teachers have a right to strike according to Halacha (not the logic of the baal habos, but Torah rules)? – that is a shayla for a Rov, not the boych sevora of our logic! Torah does not conform to logic (rather our logic needs to conform to Torah). If the school… Read more »
To #56 – Are you a posek that decided about the obligations of women or is that assertion based on your 10 minutes of deep thought? Does every man have an obligation to teach children of others? ut let me give you a “surprise”: A person who is a Rebbe in yeshiva is halachiclly FORBIDDEN to strike. Did you know that? I didn’t think so. So now you disagree with that Halacha because it “doesn’t make sense” to your logic. You decide Halacha based on your “logic”. No need to open a Shulchan Oruch because I can guess the Halacha… Read more »
Since when women have the obligation to teach or to learn Torah?
Imagine the rebbe asking why you have a tv in your house and why you are letting your kid watch movies all day. It is not the schools job to control what you allow in your house
I’d just like to wish the best of luck to the Board and Teachers. If I were you I’d rent new space next year and start over.
I hope the kashrus in your kitchen or the taharas hamishpocha is not decided by “logic”! I hope your shmiras shabbos is not governed by logic! Yet actions of teachers that affects hundreds of students is outside the rules of Torah and simply decide by logic.
Are you aware that a rebbe is forbidden to leave his students to strike? Oh, you never knew that! Welcome to the world of frum yidden and rules of Torah. The same MIGHT or MIGHT NOT apply too lady teachers (I am not a possek). Are you a possek that can decide this (when you know NOTHING about the subject)? Frun Yidden ask a shaylah. That is what a Rov is for. We don’t decide because of how we feel (is something kosher or is the taharas hamishpocha ok because it feels right?)
You don’t need a heter to not show up for work you are not paid for. Do you think teachers are slaves???
What rov gave an institution a heter to steal from employees by exploiting labor and not paying for it?
with 100’s of kids in the street, or glued to watching movies all day long etc. who will take responsibility for all of this??? Imagine if the Rebbe would be here…there is no reliable communication to the parents, most of whom are paying tuition, all there seems to be is “fake news”…no words from Rabonim (by the Eiruv they were ALL there – but they are in large part responsible in creating the generation that is putting up the Eiruv…), no words from the so called community activist, no words from anyone in a position to act…
just change the date the same old same old….
There is definitely a mitzvah to pay employees on time. There is no Mitzvah that forces a woman to teach someone else’s children for free so why would one need a heter to not work for free?
This is extremely ludicrous and embarrassing. Its like a circus coming to town. Today there is school, tomorrow there is no school, the next day everyone has half a day, the next day some grades have half a day etc. Without proper administration NOTHING will be resolved and the strike will become tradition again next year and the year after etc.
The backbone of the school and only one to bring in millions of dollars for absolutely no personal benefit!
ביומו תתן שכרו is דאוירייתא
This is pathetic, everyone twists and turns the Torah and the words of the rebbe to fit their own agenda.. One thing is certain, that children not having school in Crown Heights would not make the rebbe happy, but, that’s on the administration not on the teachers.. I say don’t go back until you are paid every last penny that you are owed.
It is obvious that both parties (i.e the board and the administration) either do not care about our girls or do not have the ability to work this out.
As parents we must demand immidetly that the go to a Bais din to sort this out. And demand from the bais din not to let this drag out as there are hundrdes of girls on the streets
I heard from reliable sources that BR elementary students are
being taught throughout the strike by Hebrew teachers!
Rabbi Shemtov promised us the same thing…. 25 years ago. Why bother speculating where the money went? We all know, we drive past their homes, see their cars, hear all about the lavish simchas they make & the homes they buy for their children AND about the extensive properties (PLURAL) they own all over the place that bring in even more moula for them to spend or invest. If they aren’t embarrassed at their lifestyles while their teachers suffer in Olam Hazeh, why would they care about Olam Habah? They are totally insensitive & uncaring. After 180 (interest on what… Read more »
Until it all becomes official and steady. Otherwise this was for nothing.
Board members never refused to speak to teachers.
Amidst all the challenges high school teachers have continued to teach with dedication and devotion
cha cha hahhahah
this is hillariuos!
they ask for donations for BR, and then the board just make loans because they dont trust where the money is going?
who is going to make donations if the board doesn’t trust
who is going to take serious a chareidi campaign, if the people inside BR don’t trust what is done with the money?
did the rav give a heter to the school not to pay their employees?
I will work for free……
If I don’t have to SHVITZ FOR 10 hours a day.
If I don’t have Babysitter Food Rent Gas Tution to.pay.
If I don’t have to be a Therapist Physcholigist Physchiatrist Nurse Teacher Peacemaker.
If I can come home turn off my phone and spend the rest of my day attending my personal family needs.
lets not forget that shemtov brought over 60 million to br over the last 25 years — has anyone else invested that much $$$$ into this community?
If the board is made up of people volunteering their time and they are also offering to provide funds of their own to cover 3 payrolls, whether as a grant or a loan.. shouldn’t the words ‘thank you’ appear somewhere within the comments?
You are mamash Reshoim.
There is no heter not to pay on time, you are over six issurim by not paying a teacher on time.
A person does not need to work if he is not paid, and here they were warned in the bgining of the year.
such wickedness wow!!!!!
Lets just all hope and pray for the success of bais rivkah.
And by the way just in case anyone wasn’t aware 1. Money gets used 2.they need alot more than a million. To all those wondering about the charidy campaign(which by the way happened over a year ago)
And why do our girls need to hear so much disrespect about their school from such a young age ?
They think 3 paychecks will buy them silence and compliance. That’s breadcrumbs compared to the big picture.
A vicious cycle until the school is finally audited and answers made known. Mass protest with Teachers and parents to show that we want real change, not just a quiet before summer break.
How much money has this board actualy btought in in the last two years? And how much expennse have they caused br to incure.
The answer to that question should be a good indication as to their ability to run the school
This is the Rebbe’s school, and it cannot pay their teachers? As a result, the teachers strike? How come there are no fundraisers? Somehow Oheli Torah is around the same size as Bais Rivkah, and they have their act together! They pay their teachers! Maybe the Bais Rivkah administration should take tips from the Oheli Torah Admisntration! Do something!
Pointing out other people’s assets is abhorrent! These are not young men who bought their homes when real estate in and out of CH was a fraction of what Is now and mortgages substanable by even one salary back in the late 60′, 70,s and even a little beyond. Summer homes were also rock bottom. People who saved their money and invested well don’t have to apologize to anyone for their living standard! We own real estate in CH and are hardly well off! In fact the payments from tenants barely cover the housing expensives! Don’t look into their peoples… Read more »
What does administration have to do with the boards promise of back pay. How is this imprding their ability to fulfill their promise?
Where is their CEO that they hired?
Who will pay the “new board” the12% interst they want on loan?
Do u want the new board to sell the lot on east new York to themselves?
Self made millionaires.how will they understand tuition and give fair breaks?
How about the new board hiring fundraisers with a fat salary. Why is he getting paid before the teachers.
Would love for the board to answer these quesions.
Ty
BS”D Love these comments re a Heter why don’t those people forgo their own salaries and give it to one teacher and then write us how long you will be able to to sustain your households and don’t give me the malarkey women do not sustain their households
Bashing by bad mouthing the life styles of others is disgusting & abhorent!
Moving forward in a positive way so our children can have a proper chinuch and teachers can receive their well deserved salary is the key here. Let’s not get side tracked in the negative.
Hatzlocha to those who will make it happen
Thank you to those who are tirelessly sort out this mess for ever!!!!
where is the money? Is there a heter for this?
How about the promises, and where was the board when thec teachers tried speaking to them before striking. Its reminds me of why the jews never prayed for the wicked poritz to die, because they always feared maybe the next poritz will be worse.
It seems thats the case here till now the old administration was 7 checks behind and now with the new board they are 12 checks behind
from what I understand the loan has a very high interest rate. secondly I heard that the board took some property of the school as collateral. It is in their best interest for the school to neglect to pay them back…….. they can continue making big bucks in real estate
BS”D I hope the Board succeeds probably expect tuition increases bad mouthing the administration who has kept the school afloat for decades seems to me to be improper especially the accusation of personally pocketing tuition money. More accurate and not dishonest but maybe should not be allowed by salaried employees is that they take a percentage of programs brought into the school
NO one messes with you!! Our girls will have a up and running fully functional school.. Why dont u hop on BOARD???
That’s right!
Was there a heter?
Taking the responsibility of your entire class not learning for so long is not something i’d take lightly
who exactly are the administration?
Who IS the board? What are their names?
Your so nieve that you believe his story.
He promised checks Chanukah time……
POOOOF abra kedabra..
i agree with number 11!
y is collive always posting EVERYTHING??
“The Administration expects it’s frum teachers to act as frum yidden! ‘ Frum Yidden are expected to pay their employees!
I think it’s disgusting for anyone without any kind of proof, to immediately attack the board. They personally have nothing to gain by being on this board. They have given plenty of money to the school. If you ask why the money was given as a loan (as some would claim) and not as a donation?. Very simple answer, if they are not given total control of the finances, how can they possibly expect the money they are putting up, and handing over to the school, will not be misused as was done up until now. So long as the… Read more »
You guys make a solid point. #AuditBR
This is a article with only a agenda.
Why is this being posted public, let Beis Rivka handle this internally.
rabbi shemtov says the 3 paychecks are from loans regarding this months tuition income.
so what is the board bringing to the table
i am a teacher i will continue to strike
“We also got rabbi Shemtov to guarantee their back pay.”
he already promised it to us by pesach. what is wrong with the board cant keep their promises
Today is the 1st of May. Got my paycheck before 10am because duh! Thas what most normal institutions do. Feel sorry for BR teachers
Check under the desk or bed of the old administration. What kind of business man are you if you can’t find over 2 million missing dollars?
Did any Rov give a Heter for the teachers to strike?
That is what frum people do!
Please!
The Administration expects it’s frum teachers to act as frum yidden!
If you want to strike – get a HETER from a Rov!
Are we asking too much?
The Administration
Look at the way the administration lives, houses, bungalows, expensive Pesach programs for all children and grandchildren…. where do you think this money is coming from?
Do you think they sell falafel on the side to help them live grand?
I highly doubt they work 1 job, never mind 2
What about the funds form the Charidy campaign? Has all that money just gone *poof*. This is potentially a good start but iyh the board is serious and starts making good on the backpay.
in the fifth to last paragraph it says that there is no money in the school system WHY IS THERE NO MONEY IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ???? WHERE WAS ALL OUR MONEY FROM TUITION GOING TO ?????THE ONLY PLACE I COULD THINK OF IS THEIR POCKET
Hatzlacha Rabba!!
3 paychecks!!!!!
The teachers are owed “TWELVE” payrolls.. That’s 1/2 years salary.
If the teachers don’t get at least 8 checks, by years end they will be back to square one. ..