Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 23 July 2018

Questioning real-world learning at ultra-Orthodox schools

By KAREN MATTHEWS York state, but many are
Associated Press modern Orthodox schools
NEW YORK (AP) — At the that provide a full secular
ultra-Orthodox Jewish curriculum along with reli-
schools Pesach Eisen at- gious studies.
tended in Brooklyn, most of YAFFED founder Naftuli Mo-
the day was spent studying ster said the Hasidic yeshi-
religious texts with classes vas where secular educa-
taught in Yiddish. One class tion is generally given short
at the end of the day was shrift number 83 in New York
spent on secular subjects City and 38 in other parts
including English and math, of the state. An estimated
enough to be "able to go 115,000 children attend the
to the food stamps office schools.
and apply." For boys in the Hasidic ye-
"Everything was super ba- shiva system, the emphasis
sic. ... Nobody took it seri- is on studying religious texts.
ously, so even if you were a Classes are taught in Yid-
staudious person you had dish, the language spoken
no chance," said the now- in most Hasidic homes. Sec-
32-year-old Eisen, who had ular subjects are relegat-
to take remedial classes ed to the end of the long
and study intensively on his school day, when the boys
own before he succeeded In this July 18, 2018 photo, Pesach Eisen poses in front of a yeshiva he attended as a child in the are restless and inattentive,
in graduating from college Borough Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y. critics say.
in 2016. Associated Press Once the boys reach high
Complaints that schools school, they don't study
like Eisen's run by New government oversight. tion consistent with their ies. secular subjects, devoting
York's strictly observant "When we grew up there beliefs and traditions. "The problem solving, the lit- their entire day to the To-
Hasidic Jews barely teach was no such thing as big "We specifically for genera- eracy, the critical thinking, rah, Talmud and other Jew-
English, math, science or aspirations — 'I want to be tions have chosen this kind all that is in Judaica stud- ish texts.
social studies have fueled a doctor, I want to be a of education for our chil- ies as well," said Yitzchok Hasidic girls can't study Tal-
a movement to demand lawyer, I want to be a busi- dren," says Ari Goldberg, Kaufman, a Brooklyn ye- mud and therefore learn
stricter oversight by state nessman,'" said Eisen, who who has seven children at- shiva alumnus and parent. more English, math and so-
and local educational au- no longer practices the tending Hasidic yeshivas in The planned lawsuit by cial studies than the boys
thorities. Critics plan to file ultra-Orthodox faith. "It's, 'I Brooklyn. "This is what we Young Advocates for Fair do, though taboo subjects
a lawsuit on Monday in fed- want to be a rabbi. That's want. Why should it be tak- Education, or YAFFED, such as evolution and sex
eral court, seeking to stop the only thing.'"Defenders en away?" which is pushing for im- education are typically
the state from enforcing of the yeshivas say parents The yeshiva backers also proved secular educa- omitted.
legislation that was intend- have the right to send their say critics err by just count- tion in the ultra-Orthodox "They erased anything
ed to shield the schools, children to schools that ing the minutes of a school schools, names Democrat- about dinosaurs," said
called yeshivas, from some provide a Jewish educa- day spent on secular stud- ic Gov. Andrew Cuomo Shavy Rosenberg, who at-
and the state Department tended Hasidic schools for
of Education's top two offi- girls. "Anything more than
cials as defendants. 5,000 years old was erased."
Department of Education Although the schools are
spokeswoman Emily De- private, they are not entire-
Santis said the department ly free of government over-
is working on updating its sight because of a state
guidance on equivalency law requiring that instruc-
of instruction at the yeshi- tion in non-public schools
vas. be substantially equivalent
There are about 275 Ortho- to the instruction given at
dox Jewish yeshivas in New the local public school.q