Fellow Jews: What needs to be done to in courage more parents to send their kids to the Jewish Day/High School

Question

I have recently read an article in a Jewish newspaper that stated that a lot of Jewish Day Schools are struggling to keep the student quotas and some are closing down. The only schools that are growing are the Orthodox schools.

My question is this why do Reform and Conservative Jews afraid to be Jewish or to send their kids to get Jewish as well the best secular education? I asked one parent to why he was taking his two kids before they graduate the 8th grade out of the school where I teach. His response was that he wanted his kids to know that there are non-Jews around and he wanted to take extra vacations instead of paying for school. Another parent told me the reason to why he took his child out of the Day School was because he was afraid that his kid might ask him to light Shabbas candles when he start learning about Shabbas and that he wanted his kid to be like the other kids in the neighborhood.

My questions are as follows:

1. Do you think if the Day schools went free would the enrollment increase or remain the same?
2. Would you send your kids to a community Jewish Day School if it offered the best Judaica and secular education?
3. What should teachers or administrators do to increase enrollment?

Thank you for your time.

I meant to say encourage not in courage

Answer 1

1) Thankfully this is not the case in South Africa. Over here- a jewish education is seen as a right of every child by the community- those who can't afford it are subsidised (and many do get it free). Of course- this drives up the fees for those that can afford it- and yet many choose to pay the high fees- some who should be asking for subsidies but feel it is their duty to pay the full fees to ensure that other people's children that otherwise could not go- can go, evne considering the financial strain it places on them
2) My children go to a Yeshiva type school- but then my wife teaches there and one of the perks is that they get reduced fees because she teaches there. What is great about their school is that it offers an excellent Torah education- but also has some of the best matric results of any school in the country!
3) A big issue is the ethos of the schools. here in Johannesburg it has been an interesting phenomenon in recent years that the schools with the strongest Torah education are gaining the most students- those that only have a nominal Jewish education are losing students to other private schools where parents see the secualr education as being the equal or better than the one in Jewish Day Schools- with the benefit of making contacts in other societies. A Jewish Day School needs to be Jewish- confusing that identity, diluting it, makes it just another expensive private school- and parents will then choose schools based on criteria other than the espoused (but not followed) religious basis of the school.

On top of that- the schools need to acknowledge the issue of parents who are not knowledgeable about Judaism- having to cope with children that are more knowledgeable than them. at my children's school it is a very real issue. We have families where the parents are non-observant and sending their children their so they will learn about Judaism- but how does a parent who is uneducated in Judaism help a child in grade 5 with Chumash and discussing Rashi's commentary on it- when they are barely able to read hebrew- let alone Rashi script? As such- there needs to be either a lot of teacher parent involvement- sending materials directly to parents to help them prepare and saty ahead of their children (or at least give them a quick summary of the material so they don't feel completely lost in talking about school work with their children), up to and including adult education classes so that they, too, improve in their knowledge of yiddishkeit and don;t feel threatened by their children's growing knowledge and comfort with it!

Answer 2

Fantastic question. Wow. In the 50s, Rabbi Issac Domb from Manchester predicted that unless certain trends stopped the enrollment in Jewish frum schools would decrease.

Unfortunately the trends have continued. His suggestions were that it should be realized that a Jewish school will not be able to compete in gashmius with a school funded by every tax payer in the country; thus it must be realized there is a reason such schools are callled Heders. They must have simpler buildings with less insurance and tax overhead, possibly being moved back into people's homes around the community.

He also felt that the trend to glorify secular higher education as a mark of achievement needed to be curbed; rather secular higher education must be viewed as an annoying necessity for some that may be required sometimes so that a person incapable of finding sufficient income without it can recieve necessary income to provide his basic needs and TO FURTHER TORAH EDUCATION.

Without this schools would come to require more and more money, and thus higher tuitions, in order to teach to prepare for higher education (sic) rather than spending time on the inexpensive Torah education. The Gra method is to teach mathematics and Torah meomorization and thinking. The math helps with Torah and being the only "secular" subject emphasized will be superior to other schools math programs, combined with the advanced logic and reasoning skills gifted by the Torah, any "graduate": will have no problem competing outside.

Lastly for this answer, he felt that the gross materialism that has come to plague some needs to be actively countered by the rabbonim. If a person has a luxery automobile, but there are children who cannot afford a Torah education and are being shmadded (yes shmadded) into secularism by Public schools, this is a mark of evil. How can a person drive a car that's price difference between an equally reliable one is the cost of a Jewish soul. Pay some boys tuition instead of getting the nicer car. G-d will make up the difference in the next world.

He was so ademate about these things he at one point calls cetain people who disagreed with him, "The acclaimed builders of buildings and killers of jews."

Answer 3

The ultimate answer is that all Jews regardless of background need to start performing mitzvahs and live life according to the Torah and not the reform or conservative movements. They need to stop being lazy and mixed in with the goyim and do what Hashem commands them. If the Jewish people as a whole came together in the service of Hashem you wouldn't have problems of parents being afraid of the kids knowing too much or more than they do. You would have Jews doing what they are supposed to according to G-D's plan. For those who say they can't afford to send their kids, I have to ask: Have you contacted the religious schools for payment arrangements and or financial help? They usually will work with families since a Jewish education is priceless.

Answer 4

Wow, great questions! Although we sent our daughter to a Catholic high school (oy, big mistake, but that's for another time) our son went to a Jewish middle school and is going to a Jewish high school, which he loves.

So: 1) Yes, absolutely, it would help if the schools were free. We're spending about $25 K a year for his education and, while I don't begrudge the money a bit, the overwhelming majority of Jews can't afford this; 2) Not applicable (see above); 3) In our community, you have to make it obvious that the school has the same standards as other schools in the area, and isn't there just to teach Judaica and Hebrew.

Answer 5

That's just it, there are plenty of motives why conservatives and or reform yeshiva's are not doing so well on one side children pick up on basic jewish culture, they like there malnourished jewish identity which they are not getting at home, and find that there Neshama is being awaken and they bring this excitment home with them and their parents don't know what to do with it since they have been so distent from observing their obligations as yid's. Also perhaps since yidim all over are recognizing that there cannot be a contridictive life style, the orthodox way of life or should I say the Torah way of life is based on high demands of moral ethics not what the world offers should we follow but that of our L-rd whom gave us his word, the blueprint of our lives.

Answer 6

if i had kids i would send them to a jewish school in a heartbeat, but in all likelihood i know that any kids i have will probably be going to a regular public school, due to me not being loaded with $$.

Answer 7

I have four kids and there is no way I can afford to send my kids. If tuition was free or if I could afford it all my kids would be there as opposed to public school.