7 Comments

Excellent article. Ignorance of the world was never a Jewish value.

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I was once looking for extra work (I am a high school English teacher), and a friend told me of a right-wing yeshiva looking for someone to teach "English" two periods a day. Not sure whether that meant English language/literature or just secular studies (which is how the yeshiva world generally refers to secular studies), I called to inquire. Yes, I was told, there was a job available to teach two periods a day -- approximately 90 minutes. When I asked if the job entailed teaching English language, I was told, "So English, arithmetic, whatever they need to know you'll tell them."

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Ignoring the number of graduates stuck on public assistance and low-paying jobs isn't "sophisticated."

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I taught Biology in the early 1980s at Telshe Yeshiva across from Wave Hill. There was no lab. And I think the total amount of time for secular studies was mane 2 hrs from 3:30 to 5:30, probably Monday thru Thursday. I wonder what things are like today?

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And I wish that the current living rabbis would even say Boo!

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Depressing. How can these so-called Jewish leaders not arm their students with skills to thrive in this world? I wish my Grandfather Rabbi Leo Jung was alive: he would take it to them in his 'in-your-face-with-finesse' master of every Jewish argument way.

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