Follow-Up: The Struggle To Reform Chasidic Schools Is Not New
Here's one example of an in-depth Jewish Week report published in 2015.
Dear Reader,
Following up on yesterday’s column here on the charedi school scandal, which attracted a large response, below is a link that I should have included. It’s an example of a number of in-depth reports The Jewish Week published over the years on efforts to address problems in chasidic schools in New York.
This one, “Don’t Know Much About History: Inside the Battle to Improve Chasidic Education,” appeared seven years ago, almost to the day.
The result of six months of research and reporting in a joint investigation between The Jewish Week and WNYC, the article was written by Hella Winston, then special correspondent to The Jewish Week, and Amy Sara Clark, then deputy managing editor, and it included a four-part radio series of brief interviews they conducted.
Both the article and radio reports were finalists in the annual reward contest of the Deadline Club, the New York City Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Despite efforts like these to call attention to the troubles in many chasidic schools, there was no outcry among Jewish leaders or organizations, or efforts to address the problem. Little has changed until now.
https://www.jta.org/2015/09/08/ny/dont-know-much-about-history
When it comes to Judaism [and Israel] I am forever hopeful. I don't walk around singing Hatikvah all day long, but I think thatJews and Judaism IS a people built on hope. And on transparency. Although I was upset when I read the initial article about the poor education being offered by yeshiva, I was 'all at once,' a combination of : Surprised/not surprised because I'd read some of it before, combined with sadness, embarrassment, and tragedy. AND YET, I asked myself: WHAT goes on in Catholic schools? Or Protestant schools? Or Lutheran schools? Or Mormon schools? Or Muslim Madrasas? Or even at small, privately funded secular 'private schools?' ALL perfectly up-to-date science labs? Teachers with post gradate degrees? The best up-to-date textbooks? I VERY MUCH DOUBT IT. Who regulates those? Nobody, frankly. ... Just as Israel is the 'canary in the coal mine' about so many things in the world, so is Jewish education. We are so transparent, and that transparency is both a good and bad thing. Right now, slings and arrows and finger pointing. Yeah. So that every one else can quietly go hide behind the trees in their own schools and hope nobody sees those defects.