Learning By Lawsuit?
Why Jewish education is in need of reform.
JONATHAN S. TOBIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
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owadays, when Ameri-
cans want action, they
don't take to the streets.
They sue.
That's the pattern on a whole
range of political, social and eco-
nomic issues, and nowhere is it
more true than in the field of ed-
ucation.
Our public schools have be-
come a playing field for lawyers
on everything from sexual ha-
rassment by 6-year-olds to the
asbestos that might be lurking
in the schoolhouse's insulation.
If there has been one issue in
particular to take the courts into
the schools, it has been the ques-
tion of segregation, and the right
to an equal education, regard-
less of race, financial status or
other factors.
All of which leads me to think
of another school system in need
of reform: our Jewish education
network.
Elementary Jewish education
in this country is roughly divid-
ed into two parts. The first are
the synagogue afternoon schools,
many of which are well-attend-
ed but for the most part not suc-
cessful.
Some give children only the
barest elements of Jewish
knowledge —just enough to en-
tertain the guests on the day of
their bar or bat mitzvah.
Paradoxically, the problem
with afternoon Hebrew schools
is much like that of the inner-
city public schools. The reason
for the poor education is to be
found more in the home than in
the inadequate schools. Too
many of the parents and the
children view Jewish education
as irrelevant.
Thus, more funding and bet-
ter teachers would make the
synagogue schools better, but it
won't solve their real problems.
Then there is the day-school
movement. The education, both
Jewish and secular, to be had at
the various day schools is usu-
ally excellent. The teachers, stu-
dents and parents are highly
motivated. Studies have proven
the value of day-school educa-
tion (combined with other fac-
tors) in ensuring the Jewish
future.
The problem here is that tu-
ition is beyond the means of
many middle-class families.
Jonathan S. Tobin is executive
editor of the Connecticut
Jewish Ledger, where this piece
first appeared.
Scholarships are not enough to
make a quality Jewish educa-
tion available to all.
Thus, while some complain
about unequal public-school ed-
ucation, we have erected our
very own two-tier unequal Jew-
ish education system. Only the
wealthy, and those middle-class
parents prepared to beggar
themselves to pay tuition, can
afford the best Jewish education
available.
While Jewish federations aid
the day schools, not nearly
enough is being done. For ex-
ample, we could enact a system
that would subsidize the tuitions
of all Jewish day elementary and
high schools. A Seattle experi-
ment has proven that such a sys-
tem would vastly increase the
day-school enrollment. Other in-
novative solutions also are out
there waiting to be tried.
What we need is
something radical to
make quality Jewish
education
accessible to all.
Yet our leadership doesn't
seem inclined to do anything
drastic about education. Maybe
they won't until things get much
worse.
Perhaps what we need is our
own version of a segregation
lawsuit to force us out of our
complacency — something that
would make the powers-that-be
in American Jewry ready to do
something radical to make qual-
ity Jewish education accessible
to all.
We can't actually sue our com-
munal agencies to do the right
thing. Nor would I really be in
favor of hauling federations be-
fore a beit din, or religious court,
in order to force them to priori-
tize Jewish education. We also
can't force philanthropists to
give where it would do the most
good.
What can we do? The answer
lies within the community as a
whole. If enough Jews spoke out
loudly and often, perhaps the
critical mass to move our agen-
cies in the right direction would
be found.
Until then, we will go on
floundering and waiting for an
excuse to act to save our fu-
ture.❑
r---/