While we strongly support and applaud the current community-wide efforts to encourage thousands of our co-religionists to sign petitions calling for a reversal of the proposed NYS Department of Education regulations prescribing yeshiva curriculums, we also cannot fail to note with sadness that we have yet to take a page from the very successful advocacy book of some of our fellow minorities. Black Americans have scored big time by coming out en masse in public places urging this or that result.
To be sure some of their demonstrations have unfortunately been marked by violence. One does not have to agree with the merits of their positions to acknowledge that they have made it perfectly clear that they understand the symbiotic dynamic between the street and politics and are not at all shy about exploiting it.
What makes this very frustrating is that what New York State is about to do to us directly impacts our fundamental duty to perpetuate our faith in the time-honored way we teach it to our children – that Torah study is central. The proposed regulations would require our yeshivas to provide instruction that is “substantially equivalent” to what is offered in the public schools. Yet this would not only necessitate a curtailment in the time available for religious studies but would also authorize the imposition of the anti-Torah woke agenda that is causing such havoc in the public schools across America.
Moreover, there is a decided lack of appreciation of the educational value of the study of Jewish texts such as the Talmud and the commentaries in terms of reading comprehension and analytical skills and so much more.
When government tampers with our ability to transmit our faith, they challenge our essence as a people. Maybe we should consider making our views more loudly and clearly – in person and at the ballot box.
