Hebrew charter school pits Jew vs Jew

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

This is a followup to a previous thread on this subject - http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/246819-hebrew-charter-school-legitimate-use-of-taxpayer-money/.

In East Brunswick, ‘Hatikvah Academy’ pits NJ Jew vs. Jew

by Debra Rubin

NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

March 26, 2009

A petition to establish a Hebrew language and culture charter school in East Brunswick has touched off a split in the local Jewish community.

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Opponents contend it may hurt enrollment at existing day schools or synagogue religious schools and even force day schools to close.

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The language in an on-line petition opposing the school indicates worries not about church-state issues but rather the impact on existing day and synagogue schools.

As of March 23, the opposition petition contained 168 signatures — many of them members of the Jewish community — toward its sponsors’ goal of collecting 300 signatures.

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Stephanie Granot of East Brunswick, the sponsor of the opposition petition, doesn’t think such a school could coexist with the Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley in East Brunswick, which her children attend.

“It would force closure of that school,” she said.

She added that the charter school would siphon children from area Conservative and Reform supplementary schools, pull Jewish children from the East Brunswick public school system, and adversely affect Orthodox Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison and the Shalom Torah academies in Monmouth and Mercer counties.

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Those opposing Hatikvah also contend that Hebrew language is so much a part of the Jewish religion it would be difficult to teach it without including Judaism. Virtually all of the school’s students would be Jewish, they point out.

Opponents also say supporters have misled some parents into believing they could get an education similar to that in a day school without the high tuition costs.

“I have no objection to a charter school if it operates within the law,” said Schechter president Mickey Kaufman. “If someone convinces the government there is a need for a public school that teaches Hebrew, that’s fine. But if people think — ‘nod, nod, wink, wink’ — they’re going to save $14,000 and get a day school education for free in a public school setting, they don’t understand what a charter school is all about.”

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Danna Nezaria of East Brunswick, a mother of four and one of the about 10 founders of the proposed charter school ... said she expected the school’s curriculum to be reflective of the local community and its student body to be made up of a variety of ethnicities and religions.

“Knowledge of Hebrew can be a tremendous benefit in this new world economy,” she said, citing the work of the New Jersey-Israel Commission as just one example.

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However, the cost of day school education — at Schechter around $14,000 a year for elementary and middle school — is undoubtedly an issue for some pushing for the school.

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Abe Schwartzbard, the immediate past president of RPRY and a member of its executive committee, said he was not surprised that Orthodox parents would be interested in the charter school.

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However, he too had concerns that Talmud, Torah, and Jewish ethics could not be part of a charter school curriculum. Schwartzbard said he planned to bring up the proposed school at the committee’s next meeting.

“If this comes to fruition, and the Orthodox community asks us to run some kind of program after school for these children, I think we would,” he said. “Somebody has to fill that void.”

http://njjndev.com/njjn.com/032609/njDuelingFactionsDebateCharterSchool.html

[alienlovechild 75]

Hebrew charter school pits Jew vs Jew

Ultimate fighting at its best in a cage match.

[scandal 951]

Those opposing Hatikvah also contend that Hebrew language is so much a part of the Jewish religion it would be difficult to teach it without including Judaism.

As a speaker of Hebrew, and someone raised within a Jewish home, I can categorically tell you that that statement is preposterous. Hebrew is a modern language that can be used to talk about things as diverse as proton collisions, healthcare, chopfuckery, porn, armed robbery, Texas hold'em poker, and giving your best friend a wedgie. It's no more limited to expressing "Jewish" themes than English is limited to expressing Christian ones. That's total pockycock.

But if people think — ‘nod, nod, wink, wink’ — they’re going to save $14,000 and get a day school education for free in a public school setting, they don’t understand what a charter school is all about.”

She said ‘nod, nod, wink, wink’. At least, I think she did. nod, nod, wink, wink.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

As a speaker of Hebrew, and someone raised within a Jewish home, I can categorically tell you that that statement is preposterous. Hebrew is a modern language that can be used to talk about things as diverse as proton collisions, healthcare, chopfuckery, porn, armed robbery, Texas hold'em poker, and giving your best friend a wedgie. It's no more limited to expressing "Jewish" themes than English is limited to expressing Christian ones. That's total pockycock.

She said ‘nod, nod, wink, wink’. At least, I think she did. nod, nod, wink, wink.

Hebrew is hardly a dead language. Latin, now that's a dead language.

A wink's as good as a nod to a blind bat, say no more. :lol:

BTW, I remember Jew vs. Jew from Mad Magazine.

[Danno 1,228]

Seems to be more evidence that the sad state of Public schools that so many religious peeps complain about is however a "god-send" to these religious schools, for without dismal public schools, these faith based schools would shrivel.

These religious schools are a God-send to the parents who want their kids to have a mix of Religion-n-education... and or a more segregated environment from the riff raff which public schools seem to tolerate.

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... a more segregated environment from the riff raff which public schools seem to tolerate.

The tried and tested method for public schools to keep out the riff raff is to pay their teachers and administrators more and give every student a laptop in class, resulting in skyrocketing property taxes. That's how the nicer districts in Jersey do it, anyway. That's why there's such stark differences in student population between towns like Summit and Newark, 10 miles or so away from each other but worlds apart.