Public education is a Jewish value.
Without public schools, the journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to success
in America might have been impossible. As Jews, we further appreciate that a
strong public education system not only can provide a path to financial success,
but it is also the cornerstone of democracy.
Collective bargaining provides us a voice to fight for our students. It is how we
advocate for smaller class sizes, books and supplies for our students, and common
preparation periods so teachers can work together to help our students.
Of course, our strong support of public schools well predates our mass migration
to America. Maimonides wrote that "any city that does not have a school in it shall
be cut off until they find a teacher for the children." Bava Batra in the Talmud even
weighs in on class size by stating, "The number of students for one teacher should
be twenty-five."
Today, unfortunate inequalities exist in our education system. The Jewish Council
for Public Affairs reminded us that it is our responsibility to remedy these
inequalities when it declared at its May 2012 conference in Detroit, "The fight for
equal education opportunity... reflects] the values of the Jewish community."
1 am a teacher because of my Jewish
values. Please help me continue to
advocate for my students by voting
YES on Proposal 2.
- Debbie Rosenman
4th grade teacher, Troy Public Schools
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