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Sep 14, 2022·edited Sep 14, 2022

These kids are the only kids who will remain Jewish for the next 100 years, while all the families of all indignant and enlightened members of the "mainstream organizations" will acculturate or assimilate. Are you sure you want to fight them? An honest question.

And this is not just Satmar, etc. Lubavitch/Chabad has a school "Oholey Torah" founded by the late Rebbe. A significant number if not the majority of the "shluchim" emissaries who at the front of the Jewish identity preservation come from that school.

We also live in a sick, centralized culture where NYT writing about something makes it legitimate.

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Gary, you may wish to adapt this to a letter to The New York Times, or perhaps offer an op ed. The failure of elected and appointed officials with the power to take action is unconscionable — a dereliction of duty. The failure of Jewish organizations to influence public decision makers is deeply disappointing.

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Gary Rosenblatt, thanks so much for your outstanding, outspoken voice on the shameful and unlawful educational neglect that many tens of thousands of male Hasidic yeshiva students have experienced over many years. The silence of the organized Jewish community leadershipon this issue, which you rightly point out they had full knowledge of, makes them complicit in this shanda. Will this expose finally give them the courage to do what needs to be done? For one, they need to make clear that the criticism and mandate to change are not anti-Semitic; that these Jewish children must be provided the secular education they are entitled to by law! Naftuli Moster has played a heroic role in his dogged pursuit of justice for these children, and now it is time for the rest of our communigty to step up to the plate and do the same! Anita Altman, Board President, Yaffed

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Sep 13, 2022·edited Sep 13, 2022

Gary thank you for your thoughtful column about the issue of secular studies in chassidic yeshivas. I agree with your analysis. Thank you for highlighting the contributions of Naftali Moster. I hope he and his organization get more visibility. I feel this article is just part of a larger problem for students in nonchassidic Haredi yeshivas, and schools as well.

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This is a terrible situation. I was aware of it in ultra-orthodox schools in Israel but really didn't know the extent it was in place in this country.

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