Orthodox yeshivas are going to be the main theme in the New York City metropolitan race

When Bill de Blasio ran for mayor of New York City in 2013 and for re-election in 2017, overseeing secular education in Orthodox haredi yeshivas was not a key part of the race.

This year, however, some candidates are hoping Blasio’s success is diverting in. Critics of yeshivas say that schools do not provide appropriate education for their students in English, mathematics and other secular subjects. Some top candidates, meanwhile, promise to keep the budget education officers from indulging in yeshiva curricula.

A candidate has not gone as far as Andrew Yang, a former Democratic primary candidate and technical entrepreneur. At least twice on the campaign trail Yang said he would “respect religious freedom” – a political value that has become increasingly important in Orthodox political advocacy in recent years – and essentially allowing parents and administrators of parish schools to decide what is best for their children. .

The main difference between the past and the current regulatory initiative is an examination by the education budget department. The probe, launched in 2015, found that 26 of the 28 yeshivas surveyed did not meet state state education standards. Delays in the release of his findings led to allegations that de Blasio had slowly dragged down the report by Orthodox leaders.

The study would not have happened without the activity of Young Advocates for Fair Education, or YAFFED, an organization founded in 2012 by yeshiva graduates who believe some haredi and hasidic yeshivas leave students unprepared for the world outside their Yiddish communities. The group issued a letter in 2015 from yeshiva graduates and parents of yeshiva students who accused 39 local yeshivas of failing to meet state secular inspection requirements and prompted a study of more than two dozen schools.

“As long as there is top-level control, at least for the time being, it’s all there is to make a big difference,” said Naftuli Moster, YAFFED’s executive director.

Haredi’s Orthodox voters, meanwhile, see criticism of yeshivas or suggestions that they will be subject to further scrutiny by city officials as an attack, according to Hank Sheinkopf, a long-time political adviser.

“It is wise not to attack the Orthodox Jewish community,” Sheinkopf said.

David Bloomfield, a professor of education at Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center, as well as a candidate for more control over secular education in yeshivas, agree.

“A mayor has not fulfilled his role in that area, and the main reason is because of the voting strength of the ultra-orthodox leadership,” Bloomfield said.

Since 1894, New York has required private schools to provide world-class education of “great parity” with that provided by public schools.

The federal study into 28 schools, completed in 2018, found that only two were achieving state standards. YAFFED leaders believe that more schools are unlikely to meet the standards.

But YAFFED has received a lot of impetus from Orthodox haredi community leaders. A competitive organization, Parents for Freedom of Education and Religion in Schools, or PEARLS, was set up in 2015 and is “committed to protecting the fundamental right of parents to choose for their children to receive intensive religious guidance and academic programs. offered at yeshivas, “according to the agency ‘s mission statement.

PEARLS appreciates the hands-on approach suggested by Yang and others.

“We are grateful that the top senior management candidates have once again acknowledged what we have always known: Parents choose yeshiva education for their children because they will graduate with the skills and knowledge available. essential to lead successful careers and lives, “Rich Bamberger, a spokesman for PEARLS, said.

Yeruchim Silber, New York government relations director for Agudath Israel, a haredi advocacy group, said applicants should “understand that the parents of yeshiva students have made a choice and respect that choice,” shaping yeshivas as a matter of religious freedom .

“The state should not impose a one-size-fits-all solution on all yeshivas including what courses should be taught and how many hours for each to teach,” he said. Silber in an email.

Israel’s Agudath has held town hall meetings with a number of the top budget ruling candidates, discussing a number of issues with the candidates, yeshivas among them.

Several candidates have pledged to keep the city from infiltrating yeshivas, a position that is appealing to Orthodox voters. Yang has dealt with the issue in various directions. In January he told Politico “that schools that do not meet basic standards should be inspected.” The following month, at a forum backed by the politically politically charged New York Jewish Agenda, a side appeared to the yeshivas, saying “If a school delivers the same outcomes, I don’t think we should prescribe tight curricula.”

Moster, responding to Yang’s comments in the New York Daily News, said Yang’s focus on “outcomes” – as opposed to enforcing essential curriculum standards – would give yeshivas a free rein to continue to fail their students. “

In an interview published Tuesday by the newspaper haredi Hamodia, Yang reiterated that schools should be given a broad opportunity in the name of “religious freedom” and keep the focus on outcomes.

“We should not apply as long as the educational outcomes are good. But we need to be guided by the data, ”he said.

Also seeking mayor is Eric Adams, who has fostered close ties with Orthodox communities in Brooklyn when he was president of the city of Brooklyn. At a visit to the Brooklyn yeshiva earlier this month, Adams praised the school.

“I really enjoyed what I saw. ”He told the Forward. “Watching these kids understand grammar, understand English, say they like to read and write, was amazing.”

Adams declined to name the yeshiva, although Simcha Eichenstein, an Orthodox town councilor representing Burgh Park, pointed out that this is one of the “29 most yeshivas studied by the city. ” Adams ’campaign did not respond to JTA’s request for the name of the yeshiva he visited.

Menashe Shapiro, a spokesman for the campaign, said Adams believes it is “cultural sensitivity how you meet educational standards.”

“The cornerstone of his philosophy is cultural knowledge in education, and the importance of your child seeing themselves in their education,” said Shapiro. “This principle guides his approach to in terms of yeshiva education as well, and what he saw was children experiencing a subject in a culturally sensitive way, where all students felt part of what they were learning. “

Scott Stringer, the city’s comptroller and senior management candidate, told Hamodia in an interview this week that he would “work with the yeshivah community with whom I have strong ties to make sure we meet the applied. “

Asked about implementation in particular, a stringer seemed to signify a soft approach.

“No, we’re not barnstorming into yeshivas. We’re going to work with the yeshivah’s director of education,” he said.

Kathryn Garcia, a former commissioner in the Department of Sanitation, seems to be stepping lightly on implementing state standards for secular education. In a recent future op-ed, she suggested yeshivas not to get details about coercion.

“In ensuring that all our schools prepare our youth for a bright future, I will focus on improving our public school system, and will be vigilant about against assumptions about religious education, “she wrote.” Most of our regional parish schools, including yeshivas, provide a strong educational foundation for children whose parents have a non-religious school environment. choose traditional. “

While it is still early to announce a starter in a race to be held in June, recent censuses have greatly impressed Yang. Within the Orthodox community, Adams and Yang are seen as two of their favorites.

“There’s no question that Orthodox is fascinated by Adams and Yang,” Sheinkopf said.

Even for candidates who are not actively courting the Orthodox community, no candidate wants to look insensitive to a religious group, especially one that includes a substantial voting bloc. At the same time, they do not want to appear to be lowering education standards.

“I think candidates need to be very proactive in their dealings with the community because they need to make sure they respect the community,” said Mark Botnick, a long-time political adviser. time and a former Bloomberg supporter. “At the same time they need to ensure that these children receive a good education.”

With campaigners and the media continuing to scrutinize yeshivas scrutiny, the issue is unlikely to disappear once the race is over.

“It has become such a controversial issue,” Botnick said. “People are paying attention to him.”