Stop rationalizing child neglect

It is New York’s open secret that many ultra-Orthodox yeshivas provide little to no secular education, leaving students without the skills and knowledge needed for an independent future. Again and gain, through government investigations, lawsuits and testimonials from parents, former students and teachers, we have seen how these institutions fail their students.

Then why have elected officials, political candidates, community leaders and media outlets treated this as a policy issue that is worthy of debate from both sides — and not an issue of undeniable educational neglect to be remedied through forceful government action?

Every few months, proponents of ultra-Orthodox schools make their case to the public, and are freely given the space and platform to do so. Recently, mayoral candidate Eric Adams visited a yeshiva, opining on its excellence without even disclosing the name of the school. Throughout the mayoral campaign, many candidates have pandered to the ultra-Orthodox community regarding this issue with little thought for or acknowledgment of former yeshiva students like myself, who have struggled as a result of their education.

I attended a yeshiva in Brooklyn. Four days a week, an ill-equipped teacher would come in for 90 minutes of secular education, cramming in English, math, writing and some history. My formal secular education ended at age 13, leaving me with the equivalent of about a fourth-grade public school education. Since my experience, the situation has only deteriorated. I hopelessly watch my younger family members receive an even worse secular education with somehow even worse instructors.

Yet every election year, my former classmates and I are forced to read, listen and watch as the proponents of my educational neglect are courted by candidates vying for office. It never gets any easier. The obstacles that I’ve faced due to the poor quality of my yeshiva education are swept to the side and ignored, minimizing my pain. At best it is portrayed as “one side of the issue,” rather than a problem that must be addressed immediately. Both-siding this issue rubs salt in wounds that still exist to this day.

The city and state delay oversight and reform of these schools to avoid choosing a side, making former students like myself, and current students, the default losers. With this issue, inaction is not neutral — it preserves a status quo that is harmful to students. Every month or year that change is delayed, another student will finish school or move to the next grade level while missing the fundamentals of math, science, English and social studies. I shouldn’t have to explain why that is a tragedy.

While waiting for the government to act, many like myself advocate for change within the community. This proves to be incredibly difficult. Groups such as Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools (PEARLS), Agudath Israel and United Jewish Organization (UJO) orchestrate massive disinformation campaigns, alternating between claims that these schools provide a great education, and that religious freedom warrants that they don’t have to provide secular education anyway.

These groups are very well-funded and have political power built from a history of working to elect politicians. The parents and students who want to see a change in these schools are powerless to counter the strength of the opposition.

Many advocates also face intense social pressure from their community. The issue is portrayed as being pro- or anti-yeshiva education, and community members can only choose one side. Many are afraid to speak up, therefore stay silent. Those who do speak up risk life-altering consequences. All these factors make changes from within a steep uphill battle, forcing ultra-Orthodox Jews to choose to be with their community, or against.

There are some yeshivas that provide an excellent education. Fortunately, I was able to find one such school for my children, which provides both a decent secular education and a robust Judaic education. This school shows that an adequate secular education can go hand in hand with an excellent religious education — that secular education can enhance, not detract from, religious education. Unfortunately, this type of school is not an option for many parents. Improving oversight of ultra-Orthodox schools is the only way these children will have a chance to receive the basics of secular education.

As long as pro-yeshiva spokespeople are given an equal platform, they will make this a discussion about whether ultra-Orthodox schools are good or bad, about religious freedom and even about anti-Semitism. Instead, this should be a conversation about educational neglect, its consequences and how we must stop it to improve education.

We need to listen to the victims who have to navigate the world uneducated. The futures of tens of thousands of students rely on changing this conversation, not on giving undue influence to a system and leaders that cause harm. Only then will we be able to move past politics and create meaningful change.