The Event:
This past Sunday, the New York Times published a lengthy investigation into New York state’s funding of hasidic yeshivas and the secular education, or lack thereof, those schools provide. The front-page report, “In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush With Public Money,” claimed that the state has given one billion dollars over the last four years to hasidic yeshivas, which in turn have failed to provide the education on secular subjects like math and reading that the state demands. The story has attracted major attention and elicited outrage: outrage from taxpayers who feel taken advantage of, from hasidic families who feel misunderstood, from readers who pity the students that the Times portrays, and from Jewish communal leaders who see in this front-page expose an attempt to target their schools, teachers, and families.
What’s really going on? To sort things out, Mosaic is convening a discussion on Tuesday, September 13 with our columnist Eli Spitzer, himself a hasidic educator. Last year, Spitzer published a story on this very subject, arguing that those who defend hasidic yeshivas against increasing state regulation have conjured up an unrecognizable fairy-tale world—but the arguments of the state’s defenders are even worse. Sign up below and join him and Mosaic editor Jonathan Silver at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, September 13 for a live Zoom briefing to learn more.
How to Join:
This event is only available to Mosaic subscribers. If you’re not yet a Mosaic subscriber, click here and fill out your information, then we’ll send you the details to join us.
If you’re already a Mosaic subscriber, register using the form below, and we’ll send you a link to join by Zoom. We look forward to seeing you Tuesday afternoon.
And if you have questions or requests for press access, email us at [email protected].