A bill to appoint an overseer over an Orthodox-dominated New York school board appears to be on the brink of failure, despite the backing of New York’s governor, the chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, the Rockland County Legislature, and a handful of advocacy groups. The bill’s expected defeat, which comes amid…
The Board of Education of the East Ramapo Central School District is under siege. There has been a relentless drumbeat in support of a bill pending in the legislature that, if enacted, would require the appointment of a “monitor” to exercise complete control over the school district. The elected Board of Education will be figureheads,…
A controversial bill to appoint a monitor with veto power over the decisions of an Orthodox-dominated public school board in New York’s Rockland County won approval June 3 from the state Assembly’s education committee. The bill, which comes after years of advocacy by residents critical of the East Ramapo Central School District’s board, has drawn…
New York State’s legislative session is in full swing, and thousands of Jews from across denominational lines are expressing their support for two bills that, on the face of it, don’t seem to have anything to do with typical Jewish issues like Israel or liberal social causes. But these bills — A.5355 and S.3821, as…
A state-appointed fiscal monitor has unveiled a blistering report on the Orthodox-dominated school board of the East Ramapo School District. In a presentation on November 17 to the state’s Board of Regents, monitor Henry Greenberg said that the board has favored the district’s private yeshivas over its public schools. “The widespread perception is that the…
After a dozen years of fighting, the East Ramapo tide is turning in Oscar Cohen’s direction. A retired superintendent of a school for the deaf in Queens, Cohen, 73, has dedicated more than a decade to the fight for justice in a troubled New York school district. Working as an activist with a local chapter…
A man believed to be the first Hasidic candidate to run for any statewide office conceded in a close race for the New York State Assembly. Aron Wieder, 40, of Spring Valley, conceded Wednesday night, The New York Jewish Week reported. He lost by 61 votes in a three-way Democratic primary race for the Assembly’s…
As New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo steams toward what’s expected to be an easy re-election this fall, he may face opposition from an unexpected corner. Cuomo has long sought to cultivate support among the state’s powerful ultra-Orthodox community. But a series of recent moves has threatened that relationship, culminating in Cuomo’s early June decision…
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