A New York State Supreme Court justice has ruled in favor of a mother who claims that her son was denied an adequate secular education at his Brooklyn yeshiva. The Jerusalem Post reports that this week’s ruling directs the state’s Education Department and the city’s Department of Education to complete a long-stalled investigation into the school, Yeshiva Mesivta Arugath Habosem in Williamsburg.
Proponents for improving secular education at yeshivas – like the anti-yeshiva Yaffed group – hailed the ruling. They said it provides momentum in their efforts to get the New York State Education Department to implement proposed regulations meant to ensure that all students receive the education to which they are entitled under the law.
The case heard by the Supreme Court was brought in 2019 by Beatrice Weber, a former member of Brooklyn’s Chassidishe community, who claimed her youngest son, then 9 years old, wasn’t receiving a “substantially equivalent” — that is, equivalent to public schools — education under the law at his yeshiva, Yeshiva Arugsas Habosem.
{Matzav.com}
She’s not frum
Sadly, I have to express my disappointment and even resentment that Mrs. Beatrice went this route although the yeshivos may need the kick in the pants. It’s not really the Yeshiva’s fault as it is the whole culture: English Shtinklish is the general attitude the children have! What could the yeshivos do? Mrs. Beatrice, do you speak English at home? I kinda think not! Nor do the other children. There is little or no English in their life, not at home, not at Shul nor at school and nor when interacting with peers and sibs. Thus they see no need for any enhancement in that domain. So what should the yeshivos do?
This woman is a Mossur, not a mother looking out for her child’s best interest.
There is a saying “we have found the enemy and it is us”. I keep hearing comments such as, They can’t speak English or why can’t they just teach subject X, Y and Z and the most ignorant comment, “places like Kiryas Yoel have a high percentage of people on government programs”. If you can say this then you are part of the problem. Kiryas Yoel or any place that has men learning in kollel after they get married will be on government programs. In addition many woman stop working when their husband leaves kollel. This is cultural related not scool related. We have a 100 year track record of successful people coming out of ALL of our yeshivos. The gemara and chumash give us the thinking skills to be successful. If a parent is upset that their yeshiva is not teaching science or history send to one that does. The chasidishe yeshivos feel teaching English reading, phonics and math is enough. Second, speaking English or not speaking English has ZERO to do with the yeshiva. If you’re going to talk Yiddish almost 24/7, have a culture that discourages speaking English, you won’t be able to speak English. This is a cultural problem not a school problem. In addition, from after bar mitzva until they get a job there is no English spoken. The bottom line is ALL our yeshivos give a better education then the public schools. The yeshivos, Aguda, Torah Umesorah have to keep saying loud and clear “Each yeshiva’s parent body has a right to choose what secular subjects to teach, how to teach, when to teach them.”
“We have seen the enemy and he is us.” Pogo from the Al Capp comic strip Lil Abner.
agreed 100% right.
She’s not frum. She used to be Hasidish and left it all.
Beatrice Weber is no longer religious. After she went off the derech and divorced her husband, she was ordered by the court to keep allowing her son to go to yeshiva. Unable, to take her son out of yeshiva, she sued. Sadly, she won. Nebach on her son and on her Frum ex-husband. How much more will our community have to suffer from angry people who go off the derech and want to bring the rest of us down with them.
Are you certain that the mother is Frum? Are you certain that she did not publicly forsake and desecrate Torah and Mitzvos??
In NY State, as I understand it, the Court of Appeals is a higher level than the Supreme Court. See:
https://ww2.nycourts.gov/courts/8jd/structure.shtml#:~:text=1%20The%20Court%20of%20Appeals.%20The%20Court%20of,Town%20%26%20Village%20Courts.%20…%20More%20items…%20
That said, this tyope of ruling can happen anywhere, at any level, if the judge or panel of judges is liberal. Today, liberal basically means anti-religious.
Naftuli Moster has caused irreparable harm to the Torah velt. A real rasha mirusha. He’s taking on the Aibishter r”l. It’s not going to end well.
We have met the enemy and he is us, Walt Kelly’s Pogo character in 1970, a statement on the pollution issue. Pogo was not part of Lil Abner nor created by Al Capp.
when her kid was signed into that yeshiva with her consent she knew that the english is not on a high standard. why should she win this case?