During Communist times, Jews risked their LIVES to send their children to cheder. They also had to support the melamdim through black market deals, managing to get money in from abroad etc – all of which were considered back then what a Madoff scheme is considered in the US today (grounds for imprisonment or even execution).
Today, those children who learned in basements and hidden huts are grandparents of 20, 30, 50, even 150 or more KAH ken yirbu frum grandchildren. The grandchildren of those who did not make that sacrifice are just “Russians” in EY or Brighton Beach today, with all sorts of halachic status questions.
There is a huge difference between a siddur party and an xmas party, making a lulav out of paper and making a tree out of paper etc etc. And if you don’t think there are books like “Heather Has Two Mommies” in grades K-4, think again.
And there is a huge difference between a sem graduate who comes from a large family, and a secular graduate who has one or two brothers or sisters and a dog, teaching nursery school.