Dear Lakewood, The time has come.
It’s a week until elul and a week before school starts.
While everyone is doing last minute shopping for uniforms and school supplies, I and another 90 mothers are unfortunately sitting home, no uniforms to buy for us, because we have no school to send our girls to.
Instead, we are on the phone all day trying desperately to get through to someone that will listen to to us and give us some hope that our girls will have a school to go to this year just like every other girl in Lakewood.
We had the זכות of being part of Ateres tziporah for the past 5 years where our daughters were taught the love for torah and mitzvahs and loved going to school every day. They felt the warmth and love from their teachers and Mrs. Insel, and they felt special to be a בת ישראל.
Sadly, this amazing school had to close it’s doors this year. I along with the rest of the Ateres tziporah parents were very sad, but thought ok, we’ll move on, there are lots of other schools in Lakewood the principals will of course open up their hearts and doors to these beautiful neshamos.
Unfortunately we were very naive.
Right when we found out that Ateres tziporah was closing, we started calling one school after the next. Most of the time we didn’t get through at all. The few principals that actually spoke to us, either told us they don’t have room or they are not taking transfers from Ateres Tziporah.
I feel that when someone takes a job as a principal she is taking on the responsibility of at least giving people a chance. I know that every girl and family is not the right fit for every school, but between the 25 girls elementary schools in Lakewood, I’m sure that every family can find the school that’s suitable for them.
I’m pleading with you dear principals to open up your hearts and doors. If each of you would take in about 8 of these beautiful neshamos, then we too will be able to shop for uniforms like everyone else.
Let’s start this elul as a community on the right foot working on our אהבת ישראל each person in their own way, looking how we can help the next person instead of always putting the responsibility on the next person. And maybe through this, we can together as this beautiful community of Lakewood be the ones that will bring משיח this year.
Signed with tears
A mother that’s just asking for her girls to go to school like every other girl.
And as a parent I have zero issues with my daughter’s school taking in 8 girls even if it means that her class will be slightly more crowded or have someone a little different type. I hope principals & admins are reading this. You have an achrayus and if you do not do something to help these children know that you cannot go into yamim noraim with a pure heart. How can Hashem accept our tefillos when we don’t care for all His children???
We need more schools
I feel so bad reading this. I WISH there was something I can do. Although I have ZERO clout or “pull” in Lakewood..if anyone has ideas please please let us know how we can help.
From what I hear and understand, I think it’s more the “vaad” at this point who Unfortunately is the only group of people the schools will actually listen to.
Although this doesn’t help the situation, please know there are 100s of us people who completely emphasize with you and wish there was something we can do!!!
My heart goes out to you and all the children in your predicament.
My wife & I are both from the Midwest and we grew up with one main school where every type of frum child was accepted into the school without any issues. There was a very healthy exposure between all the children & I can’t remember ever that there was a problem that everyone was together. In fact, there was only to gain that the less Yeshivishe children were influenced by the faculty & the Yeshivishe children & not vice versa.
If only the principals would be able to stand up to the pressure of the parent body to do what is right in these challenging times & run their schools according to what the Ribono Shel Olam wants rather than buckling. if the other parents don’t like it, then they should be shown the door!
Hatzlocha Rabah!
What ever happened to not opening school till all girls have a school???
To feel terrible.
There is definitely something you can do. You can get together with the other 15000 mothers in Lakewood and help make new schools. You can get together with the 15000 other mothers in Lakewood and direct Lakewood’s maaser money to support our local schools before sending it elsewhere.
There is an attitude by many ,not all, parents that I dont have to help support other peoples schools . That attitude is what is doing this . Nobody is asking you to support other peoples schools.If the schools got full tuition from every parent, then they could survive . Just support your neighbor who cant afford the full tuition. Dont support the school , support your neighbors and Lakewoid mothers.
No siyum hashas. We dont need it.Ahavas yisroel first.
Maybe it’s time for all of the mothers to take the girls not in school and sit in the entrance to yeshiva on the first day of the zman. After all, without our daughters getting the chinuch they need there won’t be future yungerleit who have the ability to learn Torah. פעמים שביטולה זהו קיומה
My daughters school closed last summer and I tried all the schools in vain everyone was saying they aren’t taking transfer students or they don’t have room. We finally got into ateres tziporah where my girls flourished. Now I need to go through the process again! And I know the vaad is useless from my experience last year. I also know I will get the same answers as least year so what’s the point. My girls ask me every day do we have a school and I have to tell them no.
Yisroel – you’re implying that there is a lack of Ahavas Yisroel, but I just read on TLS the only problem we have is e/o on the internet & women’s Tznius.
Nobody cares. Not in Lakewood Brooklyn or anywhere. I second that motion with the Siyum Hashas. These are Jewish Neshomos and it is like talking to a wall when trying to get a rejected child into a school. Maybe it is time to listen to the parents and show a little Rachmonus.
This can’t happen. I don’t understand how the schools can do this to little beautiful innocent children. I actually didn’t get into school in 9th grade I was out of school for a half a year. It is the most painful thing ever it didn’t just kill me but also my family and friends. And little children that are just trying to grow up normal have to be told they don’t have a school.wnat kind of world is this. As every school teaches up to love every Jew and treat them nicely. I don’t see how this fits in. This absolute torture for these kids and how can u teach to love every Jew when this is how they get treated.
Very sad situation. I wish I could help.
NOT NORMAL
There supposedly is a vaad, however, I tried to reach them to help my friends child get into a high school. I tried for months but never got return phone call.
I can hear R Trenk ZT”L screaming ” Yiddishe Kinder, Yiddishe Kinder , how can you do this to Yiddishe Kinder!!!””
We need someone to step in and help we need tifilos …. These girls r sooo precious we can’t miss out on them
It’s so sad that girls have to feel the rejection .. bc it spirals into kids going off… time for ppl to leave Lakewood not so much a city of Torah for girls more like a city for destroying girls
Does anyone know if some girls were accepted to other schools or technically if someone would step in and provide proper funding the school would reopen or if someone stepped in and took over they would have most or all the girls ?
It’s time for people to think 10 times before they move to Lakewood as things dodnt add up we can’t keep up with the tremendous growth it’s one big disaster,aside from the fact that 90% of our population cant even afford the tuitions it’s one big disaster. This system works very well for the 5% to 7% wealthy balabatim and for the rest of us it’s one big disaster and everyone is Is living in denial.
Let’s complete the entire T’hillim as a zchus for all these girls. I’m starting Perek 1-5. let’s keep the chain going.
It’s very sad
I’m willing to keep my kids home till all girls are in school
Who is willing to join this movement
I’m not blaming just wondering, It is my understanding that this is a whole school that closed. Why can’t the parents get together create a board and reopen on their own they then need to answer to now one.
True,……You actually can, fairly easily, start your own school. The hardest part is finding a building,….or a house,….that will be able to hold all the students and teachers. It has to pass safety codes and all that. Then it is just a matter of hiring teachers, and getting your curriculum together!
Please do me a favor and don’t open a school. If that’s what you think a school is, the children are in danger.
that was sarcastic btw
There’s a reason why unfortunately lakewood got itself a bad name for pull needed in schools etc…
can’t we put a stop to this. Did any one stop and think how they would feel if their child wasn’t in school. This is directed to the principals or those in charge of taking kids in.?????? I don’t believe the results would be the same!
Its so interesting. Every commenter is willing to let others to do something . What about doing something yourself. If every lakewood family gave 50 dollars ,you could keep this school open for the next few years . But everybody just says that somebody else should do something, but chv not me . If all the money that goes out of town just on Purim day would go towards local boys and girls schools ,we could open 5 new schools every year . We just dont care . We just want somebody else to do the work . We want schools to close till the existing tzadikim who already sacrificed to make schools ,do even more ,so we can sit back and do nothing .
Moshe has a good point. I would like to get started a chesed fund type project and have the zchus of donating the first $50. Can someone from the school comment about whether there is still an opportunity to save things there if everyone gives $50 for example at this point. Then everyone can say with a full conscience that their hands did not spill this blood. Does anyone know contact info for the folks that are in charge?
Maybe the schools and parent bodies are not rejecting the Yiddishe neshamos but rather they are rejecting the parents hashkafos and lifestyles
Its not realistic for everyone to just move into Lakewood and expect all services to be available to them. 10 years ago the town was a fraction the size with the ppl being of a more or less similar. Now we have a tremendously diverse population moving in because you can get a nice big house for a good price within walking distance to a minyan and groceries, clothing ect. And then when the current infrastructure can’t handle it they have taanos on the town for not accepting them into the fold. The fact is this town can not handle the influx and the Vaad doesn’t want to admit that it’s not a tenable situation. I’m here for 20 something years and I dont recognize where I live, certainly the families that are here for longer would get that feeling. Best of luck.
I am so sorry to hear about you and your families pain. You may think I am crazy but why not consider sending them out of town or if you are not ready or there to young maybe move to a out of town community who will accept you with open arms, love and nurturing. If you have been in Lakewood for a while your house probably went up which can help your down payment. Try chicago Detroit south Bend e.t.c you deserve it for you and your kids Hatzlacha
ok so start a charidy fund. I’m sure a lot of people would donate.
OP – I don’t have any answers but I feel for you. Maybe the parents of each school should be asked to sign petitions asking their schools to accept 8 neshomos.
How much $ is needed
I’m so sorry to hear about what’s going on I know I might sound crazy but why not consider moving to an out of town community such as Chicago Detroit South Bend where the schools will except you with open arms with love with nurturing don’t you deserve it don’t your children deserve it just do it do it for yourself do it for your kids this may be your answer. And I know how much you love Lakewood but this may be time
Move to the Mid West and do what for a living? In our society, both parents must work and they would have to find jobs in the same area.
Just a thought. If most of the Lakewood growth is people coming from Brooklyn, maybe bring those schools? I heard they need students anyway…
As Nim said, it would be fairly easy for all Ateres Tziporah parents to get together and open back up the school under new management. They can keep the principal that they are all ranting and raving about. They can keep all the teachers that they are so happy with. I am sure most of them want to keep their jobs anyway. And just put together a board to run the school. It does not make sense why that was not done yet.
I have an idea .
I am also someone with no clout, however , unfortunaltey , the only language everyone knows in this town is PR or bad PR.
I would suggest those 90 parents should begin Tehillim vigils, with Press attendance, First at the Homes of the Roshei Hayeshiva, Then each night at the owner or leader of a different school.
The Asbury Park Press , as well as other news outlets should be in attendance.
I think by day 3 an Emergency meeting will be had and after a few days most girls will be placed.
sorry Its the only Aiztoh that will work!
This is a true catastrophe. As of today, not one member of the Lakewood Vaad or BMG hanhala has stepped forward. There are over 100 girls without a school. Yes, with the proper administrator this school can rebrand itself and reopen! The principal Mrs.Insel is one of a kind, warm, caring and truly special. We are seeking a sponsor to honor the school by renaming it for a zechus, We are seeking a tzadik to take care of us! There is one week till school starts and we cannot allow these beautiful neshamos to experience trauma.
Wow this is truly tragic. This is a calamity that should not be. How can we help? This is not ok!!!! School cannot start without these innocent girls having a place to go.
If the school had enough money it would open. Staff is owed money from last year. Mrs. Inzel and the rest of the staff are wonderful. So the question is HOW do we get them the money to reopen. Heres a thought. Every girl in all the other schools are charged a surcharge of 50$ to be brought in on the first day of school. Would that Be enough? I am not sure but if would be a start. Each school administrator can be asked to collect and redirect the funds to ateres tziporah. All the best and good luck.
I would like to open a school for all of our kids were they can thrive and a no kid left behind policy.I am from the Midwest were we grew up with many different types of kids in one class.were everyone grew at their own levels and no one losses out.
Please contact me at 9739436407 if we need to start a school with 28 girls then that’s what we will do.
we should stop using the term ihr hatorah. Not appropriate considering all the tradgety that is happenng here. the system is broke and no one has the guts to fix it. Rechnitz tried and got slammed. the truth hurts. who is this nameless and faceless vaad we keep hearing about? perhaps it is time for some type of disturbance that will get the attention of the entire lakewood leadership in order to quickly resolve this issue which is unexcusable. ihr hatorah or ihr haselfish?
Rav Shlomo Yehudah we need your help!
Move out of Lakewood in droves. Wake up and smell the coffee. It’s not sustainable over there. There are tens of wonderful out of town communities who would welcome you with open arms. I have no idea why people choose to live in a community where There is so much politics and problems
Gather all the girls without schools. Let them daven at a member of the Vaad’s sidewalk on the first day, then rotate to every other Vaad member for the first few weeks. Maybe seeing the girls outside their window daily will encourage the Vaad to help.
Better yet- an agreement with the building/ planning authority that contractors contribute towards educational needs every time they want to put a house up (and leave space for a park in each development). Perhaps that would slow the growth.
But no one can afford to help a fellow Yid. I bet every mom with 4 children running around at SkyZone today doesn’t have a dime for a donation. (We can skip the parents at a free park).
I see plenty of suggestions, people here always say “no one is helping, everyone talks about what others should do”. I ask those people who do you (sorry, who do we) have to speak to? Who can make a change?
I think home schooling should become a serious affordable option we should explore ,or a chabad type of online school which will be more affordable than the current system which no none can afford and is broke ,its just not working as most of this town is completely broke, even if u make 200k a year ur still broke and can barely pay the tuitions,this is not normal and all our heads are in the sand and blaming a system that is completely broken already won’t get u that far
Sorry to hear what these girls are going through.
I have a question, though….can’t these young ladies go to public school to receive an education, and receive religious instruction like some gentile faiths do after school hours, or on the weekend (non shabbos, of course)?
These young ladies cannot go to public school. They are sweet, innocent and refined girls (certainly so compared to the vast majority of public school girls). Throwing them in with boys who won’t show them proper respect, and girls who will abuse them for dressing modestly, will prove terribly traumatic for them. Yiddishkeit is not comparable to any “gentile faiths.” We are not a “faith,” but a nation/tribe united by our being in a relationship with G-d.
So in other words, you dislike (because hate is such a strong word) others who do not adhere to your standards.
Tell me, please, if I am not a member of your “tribe/nation,” can I not associate with you….or the other way around?
Elinora….my granddaughter is sweet, innocent and refined. She has been taught manners, and how to behave in EVERY situation, with any and everyone. I personally know many young people who have been brought up the same way. OH…and they all dress modestly. She may not be as strict, ( she wears jeans ) but she also doesn’t show her body. Same with my Grandson. His group of friends are the most respectful of young men. BOTH have been bullied…yet stood up for themselves, and others. Was it “traumatic”….at first…until we, as parents and grandparents taught them that THEY are not VICTIMS. That THEY have a right to schooling without harm or abuse. That THEY must demand respect…and GIVE respect…and the MAJORITY of children in the public schools are/do. Are there some bad apples? yes….as there are everywhere. Please don’t tar an entire group of people with the same brush. Not all Gentiles are bad, and MANY MANY are also United in their relationship with G-D. If this STILL isn’t an option for you, there are many many Home school courses online.I also follow this family on YouTube…Out of Goshen…and the head of the family’s page Discovering Torah . There is a WHOLE world out there….and it’s not all scary or traumatic. Respectfully yours….
Maryanne, first of all I would like to say that you should be very proud of your grandchildren, who seem like they are amazing kids and were able to withstand diversity and bullying to become respectful and refined young people. And you should give yourself a big pat on the back because you must have raised great kids who are able to pass these morals and values to them. However, did they attend the Lakewood district schools? You have to realize that Lakewood now ranks like 370th out of 415 public school districts in NJ. It’s not exactly a top performing district, it’s actually one of the lowest. The drug and gang activity is very high. Having said that, to take children who have never watched TV or played any video games and are not exposed to any of that kind of mediums, and to place them into a public school setting with bullying and gang violence is just not an option. You said it was traumatic for your grandkids, now imagine how traumatic it would be for someone who is much more sheltered. Its really not an option. Nobody is saying Gentiles are bad God forbid. It’s not a Jews vs Gentile issue, it’s an educational approach issue.
Ita easy to sit behind a keyboard and bash others for not helping. First get the facts. There were numerous people who have tried to keep the school running . There was a very prestigious NY school that offered to fully take over and run the school and finance it . They were turned away by those running the school . So there were several opportunities over the last 2 years to keep the school running ,but they were not accepted. This is not the fault of any other schools in Lakewood or anybody else outside of the school .
Dont blame them .
You are insinuating that the school purposefully choose to close, which is very hard to believe. There is definitely information missing form your post. So tell us Barry, what are ALL the facts, as you instructed us readers to “first get the facts”? Did Ateres not want the “prestigious NY” school to fully take it over, because that would have radically changed the school? Or was this “prestigious NY school” just very charitable and trying to do good for Ateres for goods own sake?
You cant compare how we grew up with all types of kids. Diversity etc… Too many parents give their kids tablets, Xbox , phones etc. Schools are allowed to set standards and must set standards. Too say that schools must take in every kid is not acceptable. The same way I wouldn’t let my kid play by houses with devices I don’t let my kids have, is the same reason I don’t want them in my kids school. It’s not like the olden days where although people were different,there was much less bad influences
You do realize that all these devices have parental controls on them right? That they can only access as much, or as little, as you allow? To have these “devices” …isn’t ALWAYS a bad thing….nor is Diversity.
Maryanne, I think you are misunderstanding the comment. We are not anti diversity. Its not a Jew vs Gentile issue. Most of our kids are not on the internet at all until later in life, when they need it for higher education or a job… with parental controls or not. We take a much more sheltered approach to child rearing. We are not trying to ban diversity, we are banning the immorality that is very prevalent in today’s culture. And thank God, we’ve been very successful, our kids have like 99% high school graduation rate as opposed to nationwide of 84%. Drug and alcohol issues are probably at 1% and no gangs or violence at all in any of Lakewoods hundreds of schools. So we are doing something right.
To all those saying people shouldn’t move here, or that these parents should move out of town – while I agree that people need to stop moving here, it’s more likely that you’ve lived here for a shorter time than I (a former AT parent) and other AT parents have. I’ve lived here close to 40 years, born and bred, and yet I had a hard time switching schools. I propose that all Lakewood born parents get their children into school first, and then those who chose to move here knowing there are no schools can fight over the remaining slots. It’s just unsustainable as is and not fair to those of us who have always lived here.
Enough talking; tachlis, what are we doing about this dreadful situation?
I still want to start a campaign and get started with giving money but no one from the schools has yet commented on whether this can still work. PLEASE someone give us an update.
As a mother with two AT girls what boggles my mind is that we are experiencing a major crisis literally causing anxiety and stress to these parents and kids and the whole town is vacationing and shopping like All is well. Do we not exist?? Did people read the article 4 weeks ago in Lakewood Scoop and just assume everything has been settled?
To Elioris
The prestigious NY school is a mainstream school that would have continued being mainstream . I cant speak for whether they would have made any modest changes because I dont know . . But in any event , if the other option is closing down and leaving many girls on the street , then who cares, a little change with having a very stable school is still better than being homeless and on the street , dont you think . Unless you are so rigid that if you see any change ,you would rather all these girls be without a school.
Muti Klein, what are you talking about? Lakewood still has a lower cost of living (and much lower tuitions) than any other frum community in the tri-state area.
Can someone start a charidy campaign? From what I know they need 599k to make the school stable for the next few years. We need Klal Yisroel to stand up for Jewish Education! And to those friendly and loving non Jewish people we appreciate everyone’s help in this endeavor.
Just becuase it’s worse in other places doesn’t mean the system is not broke here as well. In boro park,Williamsburg,monroe the average low income parent pays allot less for tuition than in Lakewood.zvika u tell me how things add up we have large families with an average of 7 to 8 children = around 3k to 4k of tuition on average per month and most people here in this town barely make 40k to 50k a year so u tell me if this is a system that’s not broke,most people can barely pay their monthly tuitions.
Muti Klein Why are you comparing to 3 chasidishe places . Of course tuition by Chasidim is less because the chasidim give most,if not all of their tzedokoh to the Rebbe and the kehila then supports the mosdos . But in non chasidishe schools , the tuitions are much higher out of Lakewood. So why do you keep writing that the system in Lakewood is broken and supposedly it’s more broken than other places when , in Lakewood the tuitions are much cheaper .
Zvi,
It happens to be that Muti has a valid point. It should have nothing to do with Chasidim. For hundreds of years there was a concept of kehillos, which meant that the institutions were run by the roshei kehillos, which all ended up by the Rav. This business, that every person that decides to open a mosad, just does so. is not necessarily the most conducive mehalech. A lot of problems, and current dinei torah in Lakewood would be avoided, if this could somehow be abolished. Just like nobody ever thought of opening a private mikva, schools should be the very same thing..
I never said that Lakewood isn’t cheaper than the out of town schools ,but still doesn’t mean that Lakewood with large families and low incomes can afford the Lakewood tuitions ,additionally the quality education ur getting outside of lakeowod is far more superior (in terms of chol and kodesh) than the Lakewood schools that’s a fact that I have heard from many people including personally from Rabbi Wallerstien
Who wants to rename the school and administrator it correctly? The kids are waiting please contact me through the scoop.
A charidy fund is needed as the vaad never came through for these children. Sep 5 we will need a place for these girls. They are not disappearing and not attending shalom Torah as wells suggested by the vaad