Page 23 - Issue 11

house of Jewish literature and lore. And while most families will never send their children to
Jewish day schools — recent studies in San Diego and New York suggest that a majority would
reject the option even if it were free — the nurturing of a knowledgeable elite would
immeasurably elevate Jewish communal discourse.

Day schools, of course, are prohibitively expensive for many families. As currently priced, they
appeal mainly to the most devout and dedicated — largely but not exclusively within the
Orthodox community — or to the wealthy. More funding ought to be provided from within the
Jewish community, which surely has the resources but hasn’t demonstrated the will.

Enter the Hebrew charter school. By keeping public money within the public school system —
and promising a secular Jewish curriculum that does not violate church-state separation — it
just might offer a way to square the circle. If the New York academy proves successful and
leads to the creation of similar schools elsewhere, as some planners reportedly intend, the

model might provide broader access to those families that want a deeper Jewish education but
can’t afford it. It might even diversify the world of knowledgeable Jewish community
leadership, currently a domain of the wealthy.

The academy’s organizers insist it will be strictly secular. That needn’t be any harder here than
it is in Israel. Moreover, they say, it will have a diverse population, drawn from black and
Hispanic students as well as Russian and Israeli immigrants in its Brooklyn district. That’s a
plus, too. Opening Jewish knowledge to a broader public would enrich America and strengthen
the Jewish community.

Our instincts tell us to reject separate schools for their damage to diversity. The fight for an
open society has served us well.

But these are extraordinary times. America has become a nation of tribes, self-segregating in
separate neighborhoods by income, political views and lifestyle as well as by race or religion.
The Internet is turning casual encounters at the bookstore and post office into a thing of the
past. We don’t even hear the same news. These changes are bigger than ideology, and they won’t
disappear any time soon.

In this new world, chasing after an elusive civic republican utopia may be a fool’s errand.
Whatever damage we fear the Hebrew charter school might inflict on the American mosaic —
or what’s left of it — could be outweighed by its promise to the Jewish future.

• In your opinion, is this school a good idea?

• Does it make a difference that the school will be publically funded?

• Will it stop the process of assimilation?

• Will it strengthen or weaken the Jewish community?

• Would you send your kids to this school?