Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools (PEARLS), an organization defending parents’ right to choose a yeshiva education for their children, has filed an amicus curiae brief defending yeshiva education from the misguided and inflammatory claims contained in a lawsuit filed by an organization named YAFFED. The brief, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, was co-signed by Agudath Israel of America, Torah Umesorah and the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg.
In its lawsuit, YAFFED challenges the constitutionality of a change in the New York education law – enacted in April, and widely known as the Felder Amendment – and uses that challenge as a launching pad for its all-out attack on the yeshiva system. YAFFED seeks to have the court supplant the Legislature, the State Education Department and the NYC Department of Education in setting education policy, and asks the court to direct SED and DOE to ignore the rich educational values students derive from their yeshiva education.
[RELATED – MOSTER CONTINUES HIS ATTACKS: YAFFED Sues NY State Over Hasidic Yeshiva Education; PEARLS Responds]
According to the PEARLS brief, “YAFFED cloaks its disappointment with the Legislature that enacted the Felder Amendment in constitutional garb”. However, the PEARLS brief points out that there is nothing in the constitution that prohibits consideration of the academic rigor and educational value of limudei kodesh, referred to in the Felder amendment as “the entirety of the curriculum.” Affidavits accompanying the brief, cite examples, predating the new law, where agencies looked at the multi-faceted yeshiva educational program when evaluating if it meets the bar of “substantial equivalency” to public school education.
The amicus brief also notes that the United States Supreme Court has time and again found that parents have a fundamental right to direct the educational paths of their children. That is not only a religious right, but also a fundamental parental right.
“While parents choose yeshiva education to fulfill a religious mission,” the brief says, “their ability to do so vindicates an important secular right – the fundamental right that has been repeatedly invoked by the United States Supreme Court to strike down state attempts to limit parental freedom to direct how their children are educated.”
The amicus brief counters YAFFED’s repeated claim that children who attend yeshiva do not receive critical tools and skill sets needed for long-term personal growth, and notes that “it has apparently not occurred to those who have established YAFFED that Chasidic parents utilize a different barometer than theirs for measuring a meaningful and successful life.”
Declarations submitted alongside the brief provided the court with an overview of the development of the yeshiva system in the United States and the unique role played by yeshivas in creating, maintaining and sustaining frum life here; a description of a typical Jewish Studies curriculum, and how that intersects with the Common Core and Next Generation learning standards, and the work that PEARLS has undertaken to facilitate enhanced educational opportunities.
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15 Responses
The tens of thousands chassidic business people, professionals and craftsmen proof that nothing is lacking from our educational system.
Naftoli Moster is a loser who’s jeoulous of his successful brothers who are graduates of these same yeshivas which he is bashing now. But while his brothers are successful businessmen, Naftoli Muster is one big zero who thinks he can amount to something by putting down others.
While I certainly see his point that there should be more basic secular education in yeshivas, and he can certainly campaign for that through APPROPRIATE channels, his high profile media and political campaigns are an extension of his low self-esteem esteem because he’s nothing more than moser and a loser in real life.
amazing! not one chasidic complainer protesting in their group. chasidic people have many options to attend mosdos that provide hs education, if they want it. I really don’t see what their real agenda is.
As Halloween nears the “MOnSTER” resurfaces!
there is a biblical command – lo ta’amod al dam re’achah. those not protesting ought to think hard.
If all that Moster has accomplished was to cause the establishment of PEARLS — and indeed it was established precisely because of Moster — the yeshiva world would owe him a tremendous hakaros hatov. All the more so, now that he’s putting pressure on yeshivos to step up their game. Anyone with a modicum or self-honesty recognizes how badly a job most yeshivos have done in preparing the average student — and I say the average student, because of course there are exceptions — for success and self-fulfillment in the workplace.
azetyn, public schools spend BILLIONS on education and only a minority of students end up with high salaried and professional jobs. And many go through college and university and come out dumber than before.
I’m not saying that yeshivas shouldn’t step up their secular education a bit, simply because kids need to know basic English and need to have basic reading and writing skills, however, it will not change much regarding economic opportunities within the frum community.
The horrible poverty in the chasidic community shows that Moster is right.
evbazarov,
First of all you cannot be farther from the emes.
Second, take out chasidic from your manure statement and insert black or inner city. How does that sound to you now?
You must be a friend of moster looooooooser who blames his looserkeit on others instead of himself.
as someione in EY – who’s son decided to learn a profession (not be a businessman) I can say that the Cheder system has given enough skills to thei students that make it a possibilty to go ahead and get a college education!
evbazarov…
the horrible assimilation plight that is in your circles prooves all holy tzaddikum your wrong.the beautiful holy famlies in chassidic circles proove the S’U right
the ugly things in your families prooves the samech men rightk
Finally PEARLS has it right. Instead of lying about how much secular studies are taught in all yeshiva high schools and staging school fairs on geography and science, PEARLS correctly argues that Parents do have a right to choose the proper education for their children even if it does not contain all of the secular studies that are taught in Public high schools.
Jersey Jew, 1) Monsey, Monroe and Williamsburg are objectivly the poorest communities in New York in terms of % below the poverty line.
2)Your right. The secular education in Yeshivas are as bad as some inner city / black educations. Is that what we strive for our children? I hope not.
3) I never met Moster, but I think that an intellectual like you who only learned Torah should fight by arguing his points and not calling him names like a 6 year old.
Shimon: Our children are going off the derech at shocking rates partially because they do not want to live in poverty.
Chuck: Do parents have the right to choose poverty for their children??? I think not.
EVBAZEROV
PLEASES, YOUR CHILDREN NOT ‘OUR CHILDREN’. you dont know the story rabbi akivah with papas ben yehudah with the fox and the fish see end of brochos…There will alwaysbe ,always was those who left the fold…theres much much more OTD , like you say ‘our children ‘ not by us…very small percent..NO , it doesnt work your way those who start dropping things ended with other movements reform & Co
yes, parents have a right in chinuch of thier children….poverty?? how come 90% PS are poverty, crooke , drugs…We produce holy god fearing upright citizens….did you check the crime rate in our neighbohoods as opposed to yours and you gentile friends? well thats what counts…by the way who are you to tell us how to raise our holy neshomos?
eabazerov
you can add such sensationalized words as ‘SHOCKING’ WHICH IT IS NOT