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I’m looking for a Yeshiva in Brooklyn that is heimish & offers a good secular education to their students. Any suggestions?
Satmar. 🙂
If such a place exists, I would like to know about it as well. I did not think such a place existed in Brooklyn.
I know this is going to sound silly, but I’m going to ask anyway.
Labels such as “heimish” and “good secular education” are meaningless, in that almost every school labels themselves in such a way.
To get a good recommendation for a school that will fit your child and the goals you seek for him/her, I suggest you answer the following questions:
1. Boy or girl? And what age/grade?
2. What exactly do you mean by “heimish?” Do you mean what is commonly called “yeshivish?” Do you mean “chassidic?”
3. What are the goals for this child in terms of limudei kodesh? Are you looking for a school that will emphasize “all-learning, all the time” or you are looking for a school with a more balanced approach?
4. What type of environment would best suit your child? Does you child need the type of school where there is little or no variation in the schedule day-to-day, or does your child need a school where the routine is sometimes broken up by a small trip or outing?
5. What are the secular education goals for this child? Do you want a school that will prepare him/her for college? Or just teaching to pass the Regents exams?
The Wolf
The problem is that you are trying to find such a school in Brooklyn.
Large Jewish communities are polarized. Brooklyn has MO schools, chasiddish schools, and chareidi schools. There are MO shuls, chassidish shuls, and chareidi shuls. Everybody goes to their box and fits themselves in.
You need to move out of town. Miami has schools like that. Chicago, LA, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, etc.- all have schools like that.
pba: Out of town you have less choice, and there you too have to fit yourself into whatever the non-choice, or small choices available, is.
Thank you… that helps quite a bit.
I’ll make a recommendation in a moment, but before I do, I’d like to make the following observation: all the points you stress are probably not that important for preschool. Probably any school where your kid won’t feel like an outsider and that teaches your general hashkafah would be acceptable for preschool.
In addition, keep in mind that you are in no way “locked in” when you choose a preschool. It’s not as if the decision that you make today is going to determine his academic future for the next ten years.
That being said, I would recommend (depending on your geography, of course) Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz*. The hashkafah of the school fits what you are looking for. The rabbeim there are generally excellent, motivated and do a very good job. The secular studies department at the yeshiva is well-run and the kids come away learning quite a bit. Rabbi Engelberg is a true professional in education.
The Wolf
* I state all this about the elementary school. I know very little about the high school — but that really shouldn’t be a concern for you at this stage of the game anyway.
pba: Out of town you have less choice, and there you too have to fit yourself into whatever the non-choice, or small choices available, is.
Which is why out-of-town school cater to everyone.
Which is why out-of-town school cater to everyone.
In-town you have some schools that “cater to everyone” too.
There is one Chasidish Yeshivah in Borough Park that has full High School, regents and diploma included.
It is Mesivta Bais Yisroel D’Chasidei Gur on 16th Ave
In-town you have some schools that “cater to everyone” too.
Perfect. So mention one. Or seven.
Naming names of a particular yeshiva is tricky, because we each have a different definition of what “yeshivish / heimish ” is.
Do what we did. Go to the 4 schools that 4th-5th grade kids in your shul go to, and see what the landscape looks like.
See who does the pick up on Sundays at dismissal time. We found that to be VERY indicative of the flavor, and by checking out the older grades, you can get an idea of what you can expect down the road.
Perfect. So mention one.
Since this thread is about Brooklyn, one there that comes to mind is Chaim Berlin.
Now, out of town, this “caters to everyone” school in Detroit (to take one of the towns you mentioned) has students ranging from Satmar to Rabbi Avi Weiss style Modern Orthodox sitting in the same Yeshiva?
Or certain types wouldn’t even feel comfortable living in such frum out of town communities?
Chassan Sofer, should have a decent eng dept. idk if the boys listen though. Novaminsk might have, since they updated it’s a good chance,
it’s worth looking into.
I hear that the best eng dept. (“for a Chassidishe Yeshiva”) is Bobov.
Usually the problem is that the Yeshiva & the parents
do not focus on the quality of their teachers or put extra
efforts into revising and improving their english studies program.
Even when they do, they do not emphasize the seriousness
and importance secular studies to their kids and students.
That is why the English Dept. in many yeshivahs in B.P. &
elsewhere fall short of being great.
“Since this thread is about Brooklyn, one there that comes to mind is Chaim Berlin.”
Don’t waste your time trying to get your boy into Chaim Berlin; it ain’t going to happen.
cherrybim: What makes you think that it isn’t going to happen?
why do u say that cherry? obviously some boys get in
“It’s not as if the decision that you make today is going to determine his academic future for the next ten years.”
It can be much harder later to switch schools when a student is in the upper grades, than to start off in a school where he has a good chance of fitting in and being happy for the next ten years. Harder to be accepted into the school, and harder to adjust to a new set of classmates. Sometimes switching is necessary and beneficial but it usually isn’t easy.
(If you were being sarcastic, then just ignore this post.)
(If you were being sarcastic, then just ignore this post.)
I wasn’t being sarcastic. However, it’ll be two (and maybe three) years before the kid will be in first grade. That’s not the “upper grades.” IOW, they’re not committed to the place they choose for pre-school.
The Wolf
I don’t think CB is so hard to get into anymore, also try Chofetz Chaim. Very strong in both learning and secular subjects (also hard to get into)
My neighbor went to Veretzky(Flatbush) and now goes to college. I think boys are more litvish but have chassidishe rebbeim so has a heimish feeling.
There are other fine serious yeshivos but they are not looking for parents who straddle both sides of the fence.
Straddle both sides of which fence cherrybim?
BPG how would u know where your male neighbor went to school? or that he now goes to college? what is your relationship with this boy?
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