As a sixth-grade teacher of math and literacy at a Hasidic school in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, I am extremely disappointed by the silence of mainstream Jewish organizations regarding a secular education bill moving through the New York State Legislature. The bill in question, introduced by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, would enforce a law passed in 1928 that…
It is a simple and obvious equation: If you educate girls and women, you improve the world. Economists know this. It’s likely that even the most sexist of humans know it (deep, deep down). But when documentarian Debra Gonsher Vinik set out to investigate the role religious organizations play in securing and perpetuating education for…
This piece is part of a series of perspectives from Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award Recipients on their experiences in philanthropic work. The basis on and direction in which a country grows is highly dependent on youth. The youth are the ones who are developing alongside a generation; growing and learning more about themselves and…
When I created YMath in 2012, it was a way for me to share my love for learning by providing free one-on-one support in math to students who otherwise would not be able to afford a private tutor. Over the past few years, I have seen the impact of YMath on the academic performance and…
“The middle of the road is for horses,” the famous Rebbe of Kotzk once said. Critics of the Orthodox Union and UJA-Federation seem to share that disapproval for those sitting out the battle over the Satmar school curriculum, according to a recent report in the Forward. Why have those organizations not come out vocally in…
Jewish media outlets were surprised and delighted by a recent viral video of two Bais Yaakov girls rapping about Dor Yesharim, a genetic testing organization. I was delighted, too. Surprised? Not at all. While there was nothing shocking to me about two Orthodox teenage girls rapping, the responses to the video have been both surprising…
The New York State Legislature is currently considering two bills, one introduced by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee in early May, the other by Sen. David Carlucci and Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski in January, to strengthen existing legislation requiring nonpublic schools to meet the state’s minimum education standards. But Jewish leaders and groups who are usually very vocal…
The Israeli government says that Haredi parents and schools — rather than the government itself — are to blame for denying secular education to ultra-Orthodox youth in Israel. That was the government’s response to a lawsuit filed by 53 ex-Orthodox individuals against the Ministry of Education for failing to teach them basic secular subjects like…
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