Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on September 19, 2015

"The case for government intervention [in hasidic schools] isnt complicated. Lack of [secular] education directly correlates to greater poverty, and so it is no coincidence that some 63 percent of chasidic Jewish families in New York City are poor and this estimate does not include communities like Kiryas Joel, in Orange County, among the poorest towns in the country."

Shulem Deen, who left the Skvere hasidic community of New Square, New York almost a decade ago has no contact to speak of with his four children because New Squares rabbis make sure of it, mixing in the private lives of family to insure the familys children are not tainted or corrupted by their now-secular father.

Deans two sons, now ages 13 and 15, were both born and raised within the US. But, Deen writes in op-ed for the Jewish Week, neither of them can speak, read or write English.

Why?

The schools they attend in New Square dont teach any English, and the language of instruction is Yiddish. All the boys do is study Torah.

This violates New York States education law but the politicians and political appointees in charge of enforcing that law have turned a blind eye to New Squares blatant violations for decades, just as they turn a blind eye to very similar violations in the Satmar hasidic village of Kiryas Joel, New York and in other hasidic strongholds including Borough Park, Williamsburg, Crown Heights and other heavily hasidic Brooklyn neighborhoods.

When they were in elementary school in New Square, for several years Deens boys had occasional after-school English classes. They were taught the English alphabet and how to read simple words like cat and bag, and they were also taught addition and subtraction. But like all other hasidic boys in New Square, once they reached bar mitzvah age even that woefully inadequate secular education ended.

They were never taught science, literature, civics, American history, world history or anything else the state mandates, and not one state or local education official lifted a finger to stop what can only be called a form of child abuse.

So what lies in store for Deens sons? Likely, poverty:

My sons, if their paths are to follow the pattern in their community, will likely be married before their 20th birthday. Birth control will be forbidden, and they will be expected to have large families, for whom they will have to provide, despite their minimal education and lack of marketable skills.

In time, they will learn on their own, in a manner typical of immigrants to read and write English, though they will struggle, and achieving any level of proficiency will be unlikely. Their families will almost certainly have to rely on public benefits Food Stamps, Medicaid, Section 8 to get by.

Deen also makes a strong case for government intervention:

The case for government intervention isnt complicated. Lack of education directly correlates to greater poverty, and so it is no coincidence that some 63 percent of chasidic Jewish families in New York City are poor and this estimate does not include communities like Kiryas Joel, in Orange County, among the poorest towns in the country.

While some chasidic individuals find success despite their meager education, particularly in the fields of entrepreneurship, vast numbers are forced to rely on government benefits to get by. In some communities, couples apply for Food Stamps and Medicaid right after marriage as a matter of course.

Those who would excuse the current system are doing these communities a disservice. They have either not seen or remain oblivious to the many young chasidic men, who, after fathering several children, go out to seek jobs but cannot write basic English words, cannot compose a basic letter of business correspondence,and cannot speak in full coherent sentences using the language of this country.

I have seen the helplessness and the poverty that results from this situation, and later the searing anger on the part of a number of these young men for being deprived even the most basic skills needed to provide for their families.

One thing must be made clear: This is not about a communitys right to religious freedom. So far, chasidic communities have not made the case that their religious beliefs forbid secular studies; in fact, in a twist of sexist irony, girls, who are not obligated to study Torah study, receive instruction in secular studies that is vastly superior to that of boys, and proves that the study of secular subjects is not anathema to its world, only to its boys. The end result, however, is the institutionalizing of ignorance and poverty not out of principle but out of neglect.Average citizens dont get exemptions from laws they dislike or find inconvenient. They can either lobby to change the law, or comply. Chasidic schools must do the same, and city and state officials need to start doing their jobs by making sure of it.

Read the original here:
Hasidic Schools Ensure Ignorance And Poverty

Category: Hasidic
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