By Avi Gutfreund. There are several chesed organizations to which people give their maaser money without even thinking, including Hatzolah, Tomchei Shabbos, Bikur Cholim, among several others. What these organizations all have in common is that they are staples of the community. Where would we turn without Hatzolah? How would many poor families get food on the table without Tomchei Shabbos? Who will advocate for our sick if not for Bikur Cholim? The answer is nobody, and we therefore donate generously, without qualms or external considerations.
But what about our schools? How can it be that our children’s schools, the places where our children are sent to thrive and blossom into exceptional people, are allowed to struggle so mightily? In the past week alone, there have been two schools with letters on TLS begging for donations so they can remain open. One of those schools was bailed out by noted philanthropist Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, and the other announced that their students must find other schools to attend. Just this morning, a friend sent me to a link to a fundraising page for a local Rebbi who has not received a paycheck in five months. This situation is utterly unacceptable.
The term ‘crisis’ is used far too liberally nowadays. But this is truly a crisis. There is no way our children can get the education we want for them and need them to have if our school doors can’t open due to a lack of funds. There is no way our children can have a top-notch learning experience if their Rebbeim and teachers are unable to be paid.
How is it that we open our checkbooks for so many others, yet ignore our own children’s educational institutions that depend on our donations? In the chassidish community, including the chassidish schools in Lakewood, this issue doesn’t exist. They understand that schools are the gateway to the future, and they therefore donate generously to their schools. Why are we not the same?
We are all well aware of the crisis about girls not having schools to attend. Whatever the solution may be, one thing is clear: the solution will require funds. How can we implement any sort of solution if the schools that already exist are unable to get by financially?
How many times do we make costly purchases, whether on jewelry, clothing, or fancy cars, yet don’t even pay our children’s tuition in full? If tuition isn’t paid, that pricey car you have in your driveway is now compromising your own child’s future.
We must begin funding our schools; our children’s future depends on it.
One must ask his Rabbi if maaser money can be used to fund a girls school
Rabbi Gutfreund, As much as I agree that our kids schools are extremely important to fund so are all the wonderful organizations that are helping us all out!!!!!
With all due respect, I have no idea what the writer is talking about. The notion that chassidish schools, in Lakewood or other areas, never struggle financially, is bewildering. Lakewood has bli ayin hora by far more Mosdos than any major community. They are overall high quality schools and they are thriving, BH, thanks to the generosity of parents, grandparents and other philanthropists.
The Lakewood Mosdos that the writer alludes to that recently had major financial struggles are both fine Mosdos, but still struggled to fill even one class per grade, in a community where overstuffed classes and long waiting lists are the norm. Despite everyone’s best intentions, that is not a model for financial self sufficiency, whether Litvish, Chassidish, or any other denomination.
Thankfully, Mr. Rechnitz stepped in to save one of them. But using these struggles as an indication that Lakewood as a whole does not properly value and support chinuch is totally misplaced and offensive.
Lakewood has more mosdos then Boro park? Monsey? Wilimasburg? of course not!
It is so true Ateres Tziporah parent are wealth they should have bailed out there school . But Mr rechnick is free . It is sad.
I’m really sorry, but you definitely have some sort of gripe against Ateres Tziporah. You have been attacking the schools parent body across multiple forums and are obviously pushing some sort of agenda.
Just because our parent body “WORKS” for a living does not mean we have money to throw around. It is actually our financial class that supports charities the most. The super wealthy only fill in whats left.
PLEASE STOP ATTACKING!!!
One possible answer to your question, R’ Avi Gutfreund, is that maybe, just maybe, if some schools wouldn’t be run with the same cold, ‘professional’ attitude as a regular business, and the parents and children actually felt that the school is there for them with warmth and care and really dedicated to their child’s future, that same attitude would bounce back from the parents’ hearts and pockets as well. Of course, I’m not swiping all schools with the same brush, and regarding the schools that don’t belong in the above category, your point is 100% valid. Just something to think about.
Maybe instead of adopt a kollel in eretz yisroel, those people can get a job and we can adopt our schools.
Daas Torah must be consulted before this can be done, as we all know Torah is the ikur and it is protecting Eretz Yisroel from its enemies.
If the schools will make over-the-top poolside “Novol Birshus HaTorah” parties they will get money too.
Lakewood sure looks different than when I grew up here…
If all the parents pay their tuition the school will not need to fundraise. If every parent can take the achrayis to pay/raise the tuition they are responsible for, there wouldn’t be any issue. Problem is priorities. People spend their money on everything under the sun besides their child’s tuition. If your child’s tuition is your priority you will get the money to pay for it either by paying or by fundraising your share….
I am mot paskening whether or not masser money can be used for a girls school.But if it can not , then how do you expect girls to have a school?
@foodforthought well said!!
They became businesses and we became the vendors. That’s the root for 99% of he problems from funding,to kids not being accepted. The warmth and respect for the parents is almost non existent
Good point! I know that try to participate in school fundraising drives as much as we are able to – even even if our kids don’t go to those schools. As a community- we are all in this together!
I know personally a well established chasidesher scholl in lakewood
That is currently experiencing allot of financial problems it also has a wealthy studant body that can help but the parents r unhappy because are treated badly so ur 100% right parents have to be happy to want to go the extra mile and help, I am a chasidesher guy with money and unhappy with my daughters school and I ma not untested on giving an extra penny beyond the tuition.
Slow down.
Before you write an opinion column on a very debated topic, perhaps investigate if the schools are properly managing their money. Why isn’t anyone ask that question?
I have reason to believe they aren’t managing it 100 percent properly- not all, but some that I’ve been involved with.
Also , like others have suggested above, it’s a business and the human touch has long gone.
Also, some of these schools open without backup funding and/or a plan of action – other than of course, collecting tuition. They figure ‘they’ll wing it’.
That’s not a plan, that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
What really needs to happen, is oversight – but we all know that’ll never happen.
To Mr bad management.
If schools,were charging 10 to 20000 tuitions ,you could,question their management . But when they charge the majority of their oarent body a little over 4,000 even for high school which has real high expenses, I don’t think you can really make that case .
If the city will continue to fund schools that the parents don’t care about it will bankrupt the city. So change what needs to be changed so the parent will support the school . Let mr rechnick support the poor kid like yesomim ,kid who need more assistance,kid who parent are sick.kid who need tutors to get to the next level. Not bail out parents who are on vacation. It is sad.
The root of the problem schools need to be community owned.to be funded entirely by the community. Maybe we should learn from other communities that are successful in this area.
Which community that can be compared to Lakewood has a school system owned and funded by the community? Please share
Very simple answer, because all the schools in lakewood are privately owned and not owned by the community, the parents feel no allegiance to help them further then tuition. The attitude that the Yeshiva have to the parents is that it’s my way or the highway, which doesn’t bode well for schnorring money from the parents. I think most parents have the attitude that the yeshivas is a private business and don’t bother me to help you out further.
If parents stopped buying their girls $$$ clothing at (moderated)… they might have $ left to give to their girls school…
Nobody is,asking you to help the school. Your friend and neighbor can not afford enough tuition to pay the cost of his childs education . Just help him pay full tuition the same way you would help him buy food if he could not afford the price of food .The kajority of schools are,asking a reasonable full tuition which on most svhools only a small minority pay .Help your neighbor pay his fair share ,don’t help the school .
@ Emes -that’s true. Being they’re privately owned, poses a unique challenge.
Lakewood cannot copy the community school model. Lakewood is too vast at this point.
But I agree that more oversight and transparency is needed.
School owners around town look like they are doing well for themselves. Don’t want to get into details but they don’t give the impression that they are struggling and nobody actually knows what the books show.
I know personally a well established chasidesher school here in town is having a hard time financially recently becuase he never treated the parents nicely and allot of the wealthy parents are not intrested in helping him and because there is more competition now in the chasidesher girls schools he cant get the parents to help him and thete are allot of wealthy parents in that school.
It seems that many people think that those working are loaded. We arent we are just trying to get by. I make over 100k a year and I struggle. There is no one helping me. When I am done with yom tov I am broke. My wife won’t step foot into one of the local stores. I am very pro kollel but why does it fall on us working people to fill in the gaps?
I agree with Dovid I make around 150k as a businessman after paying full tuition and tutors for some of my children I am really not left with much extra money,I try to help out the schools that treat my children and myself respectfully as much as I can afford but at the end of the day its very expensive to raise a frum family when ur not eligible for any programs and paying full tuition for all ur children.
To tolerant Resident: for starters Toranto tuition is based on what each family can afford. The community school raises the rest. They work very hard to meet the budget each month.
And the Toronto kehilla is a fraction of the size of Lakewood, and has a very different rich vs. poor balance. For starters…
first of all, unlike a write said above, Monsey, Boro park and perhaps even Williamsburg have many more mosdos then Lakewood, so get your head out of sand! #2 torah institutions is the blood stream of our nation and torah learning is more chushuv then any organization including Hatzalah, as the gemorah says “gedolah Talmud torah yoser mhatzalas nefoshis”!
Those communities do not have “many more” Mosdos than Lakewood. Not even close. Someone’s head is in the sand and it ain’t mine…
The whole kollel concept of full time learning can b debated as in my chasidesher circles I grew up that if u have kvius itum for Torah and bring in a parnassah is just as worthy as full time kollel
.Most Jewish people for the past 4 thousand years worked to support their families and I am very proud to b a working serious businessmen here in lakewood and I didnt4 agree thay we have to support 4 thousand people to learn full time.
In all honesty every organization and every torah institution and every little fund needs to be supported.
They arent collecting just for fun.
If ppl decide only to support one and leave the rest to the wind then each one would have tzaros.
Each person gives to what speaks to their neshama.
But it is true we do have to support the schools. We need schools for our children and we need to keep them afloat.
If we dont support schools they can not pay their rabbeim.
And then those rabbeim and moros cant feed their families.
I think the letter writer is onto something. The lavish way people live these days with brand name everything and latest model everything and strollers and clothing to kill…
Maybe spend $100 less on each thing and give the $100 to the school.
The first thing I do when I get my paycheck is take out maaser and second thing is take the tuition out and pay it on time. Everything else has to wait. If it means no money left to spend on extras thats just too bad cuz the yeshivas come first.
The author mentioned a Rebbi that hasnt been paid in months.
I know him personally.
He is a Talmid Chacham that has been through the entire shas and a loving caring devoted Rebbi to his talmidim. They may even be your sons.
He is a loving father of children whom he has to support as well. But no pay in 5 months is drastic!
Help him out whether with a little or a lot at the link below!
Gf.me/u/kwkxsj
Difference is Schools generally won’t close down beck chaim Yankel is not paying tuition but Hatzalah etc will
A school just closed down this week due to lack of funds.
I guess Lakewood scoop will not print the true.
There are multiple issues here which already have been stated here.
1. Schools are businesses. Major issue.
2. The support of married children in Kollel.
Think about it. If someone is supporting one young married couple (and families do more I hear) that would be about 10 elementary tuition’s. That same couple could have been supporting themselves.
It’s priorities. If Lakewood feels it’s more important to support such a lifestyle then the so so rich (500K a year) will not be able to support the schools as they are supporting their married children. Only the super multi million dollar donors will be able to support the schools. This will be the communities downfall, and no one from leadership has the guts to say so.
Kollels should be for the best and brightest and for those who will be Rabbonim, Rabbeim etc… In that case everyone wins. The yungellight will get supported and the elementary/high schools will get supported. The Kollel for ALL is a recipe for disaster as we currently see. It’s only going to get worse if no one puts a stop to this madness!!!!!
The “disaster as we currently see” is a more thriving network of Mosdos from elementary through BM than anywhere on the continent, bli ayin hora. Which, incidentally, would not be the case were it not for the plethora of bnei Torah today and over the past decades.
Kollel is not the only issue here.
Schools are failing even with a working parent body parents. When a family has 5 kids in school – you’re looking at 2500 a month. People cannot hold to that.
That with mortgages, car payments (nothing extravagant) and basic living puts most people well behind each month.
Please consult your own Daas Torah before directing all of your opinion.