Since many of you mentioned in the comments the issues of the economic outcomes in this community - I want to reshare my video from a few months back, where I covered how Hasidic Jews earn a living without following standard education paths. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i76IgqqK1sivZaM.html It is true that Hasidim have very high welfare rates but I truly believe that this isn't as much about education as it is about other factors, especially the enormous financial burden of having such large families.

I have been in public education for 20+ years, and I can attest to the fact that Mr. Spitzer is is absolutely right about the harm the internet- particularly social media- has done to our children's education.

Hi Eli I was one of your students 12 years ago. Nice to meet you on Frieda's Chanel Good job great points

Eli is an extraordinarily intelligent and articulate person. As an secular educator (4 yr public college), I am fascinated by learning about different cultures. Frieda's channel is a wonderful source and this interview was absolutely intriguing and enlightening!😊

Fascinating interview. My nephew, who is secular, teaches physics in a public high school. He recently started teaching physics at an orthodox high school. In spite of that more liberal environment, he finds these students as much more sheltered and naive.

As a chassidish girl myself who’s in this systems, I agree with almost everything Eli is saying. I am so glad that he’s going out and speaking truth. Sometimes I feel like it’s my mission to educate the world who chassidim really are, in a true and positive way, but thank gd there’s a Frieda who’s does exactly that❤❤

Thank you for this wonderful conversation. As a Chasidish woman raising 5 children in NY, both girls and boys, I can say with certainty that I want all of my children to have an adequate secular education. I'm not too worried about their religious education because that's ingrained in them in their daily life, starting from the mothers womb. However, secular education is a very big priority and my husband I make every effort to give it to them. We don't just rely on their schools, which happens to be are doing a fantastic job. We also supplement with lots of educational books, games and online learning programs. My boys speak a fluent English and they're 5 and 6 years old B"H.

Frieda, wow, this was such a fascinating interview! I think I might have to re-view when I can devote all my attention to t. Thank you!

I am completely overwhelmed by the your channel you have a fantastic openness on any subject you are a very very honest person thank you for this channel

Wow... as someone born raised and part of the chasdsh Jewish community, I agree with every word Eli has said. Thank you both. Keep up the good work.

`Fascinating, educational and balanced. Thank you Eli and Frieda.. I didn't want it to end.

You always give such a perspective in your videos ❤ 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Great interview. Thank you for another great video

Great work! Thank you! ❤️❤️

Thank you -- fascinating interview!

Great interview, we need more of this type of conversation!

Went to Lubavitch high school (Bais Rivkah in Crown Heights). I decided to go on to college and the school didn't know how to handle it. I ended up having to go to college with minimal grades, barely accepted, and then matriculated after 15 class credits. Never studied higher math or real science. I still have my biology book and it's a joke, so much is left out. I was very unprepared. Hebrew studies in the morning, English (secular) in the afternoon.

Thank you so much. I find your videos educational and informative. ❤

Thank you Frida 😁👍🏼very informative and interesting. I’m learning so much about the Hasidic culture because of you. Very important to me being a convert to the Jewish religion 😁You Rock as always 😁👍🏼💪🏼🙏

Wonderful discussion. I think it shows the complex world we live in . What is good for one may not be good for another. In saying that having the educational access to see both sides , should be an option. Also maybe secular schools near to Hasidic communities should also be given the option of learning about their neighbours.

Thanks again for finding the gems in the frum world.

As an “IDT Christian” (shout out to Miss Pearl); and an educational administrator (originally from Crown Heights Brooklyn), and the (“daughter of a Jewish woman), thoroughly enjoyed this exchange! There are so many layers to educational leadership that transcend religious affiliation so when religious ideology is involved, the layers become entangled. Just as Eli would say something with which I agree, he’d follow it up with a head in the palm comment. But for me, that is the hallmark of a substantive and insightful discussion. I was particularly happy to listen to his response to the practice of corporal punishment! On this, he and I are in complete harmony. Thank you to both of you, for this refreshing and adult communication.

This was an excellent interview. I was very impressed with this intelligent man. He seems to be very educated.

I love this. I would love a look on this issue from other type of Jews (Sefardic, litvish, chabad, modox) thank you for this. Much Hatzlacha. Good Shabbos!

Hello again Frieda. Just wanted to let you know that I've been binging your videos, and it's all because of Pearl (Pearl was in the first video I watched). I'm a non-religious goy, but I believe that there's a higher power nevertheless. What I learned from this video is that there's a parallel between extremely religious Hassidic jews and Indian yogis in terms of the mental/emotional state produced by hours of continuous prayer. You're doing a great job 👏 with educating the rest of us. Please give my regards to Pearl.

So interesting! Can you do an interview with Chabad too? That would be very cool

I find it fascinating. I am a 77 yr old non practicing Christian. Would have liked to have the experience of being in a Hasidic Jewish community.

Well done Eli! 🎉

Coming at this from a completely 'outsider' perspective, I am both fascinated and impressed, honestly. As a devout Roman Catholic, we talk a good game about being 'in the world' but not 'of the world' but it's a ridiculously tricky balance to maintain as often, giving even an inch of ground allows the world to crash over us like a tsunami. I appreciate (SO MUCH) the insular world that allows the Hasidim to thrive in all aspects. Eli's take was incredibly nuanced and fresh. It's so easy to pick on the Hasidic community because they are so religious and anything 'religious' is anathema in many circles, but in my nearly 40 years on this Earth, I've often experienced that the most insular, exclusive, and intolerant folks tend to be secular liberals, honestly. I think I will have to re-watch to see what jumps out at me after a second go-'round. Thank you for posting!

My son 25yrs old.As a I trust him to make a wise decision now.As a 18yr old, he pushed his parents to parenting limits. It takes a community to raise a child. My maternal side had Jewish heritage in early 1800's

I'm watching this much later than when this was released. When the conversation turned to leaving, I wonder if parents who have had a child or children leave become "harder" on the remaining children? I'm not sure if it is relevant or not. Love your videos, I always learn with every video.

The Amish are allowed to be educated differently. But there is a basic for the younger grades I just don’t see applied here. The Amish also have a period where they are free to explore whether they will leave or stay.

Eli is one smart cookie, he knows his stuff cold

any community should have the right to focus religious education for their children, but if they sideline academics of any kind they should not get our tax money for it.

Well done eli haven't seen you in years

great video

I prefer to think of religion as being equal to culture, and culture is less about control (although that's a side effect), than it is about the inheritance of belief systems and these include language, fashion, customs, occupational demographics, economic structures and hierarchies, manner of relating with others, shared celebration, etc. So while religions are somewhat more formal in their focus and narrow in their beliefs they are nevertheless a cultural community which in and of itself holds value in being a part of human diversity. One can argue for or against any culture as being superior.

I missed it, what exactly do the boys study? I heard Talmud study but what does that entail, exactly? I did understand certain secular people say the children are not prepared should they decide to leave the Hasidic community when they are 18. But what do most Hasidic males do to earn a living and support very large families with limited education? I found the interview very interesting. The two of you are most articulate in the English language! Thank you.

It’s not people outside complaining. It’s kids grown up now adults complaining.

Thank you Frieda, for this incredible interview. Eli is immersed in the Hasidic world but clearly is knowledgeable about secular culture. His mentioning Peter Santenello and Netflix surprised me. It was so interesting hearing his perspective. Eli is articulate and well spoken which is usually not the norm in the Hasidic communities.

Great interview! Very well said, though I disagree with some points. Maybe I'm the only one, but I feel like no one is trying to get me to stay chasidic. I need to fight to stay. I actually feel like I'm being pushed out and I need to hold on with all my power. Maybe I'm the outlier but that's how I feel and see my surroundings.

I agree with him on parents and social media. I'm 56 and am SO glad it wasn't around during my childhood, high school, college years and early 20's.

education cannot be truly independent and liberated bc someone's ignorance in maths, natural and social sciences affects my life. so even though religous studies can be changed by demand, some highschool level education must be given - regardless of a community's religion or life style

1:01:36 It is a matter for further sociological study. So much could be learned and gained by having a better understanding of the chassidic community.

Freida, you and Eli speak perfect english, I live in Sydney in Australia and although Christian have grown up surrounded by my Jewish friends. The opportunities to totally interact with so called normal Australians is limited by their religious observance so there is a limiting factor.

Does it cost money to enter a Mikvah? Is there a fee or is it a community service provided by tithe money?

I very much appreciated the conversation about the pitfalls of raising children who frequent the social media found in the internet. However, I think painting mainstream child rearing in the chaotic parental environment in a portion of American society to the strict rules of religious scripture leaves out the norms of mainstream parenting. In this environment, particularly in college educated homes, how to raise children, parents are using tools which underwrite what a child needs in order to feel secure, loved, treasured and at the same time taught BOTH behavioral limits and to freely develop ethics on the grounds of well being for themselves and by extension to others, rather than rules handed down based on superstitious and ancient ideas. In these homes, children can grow up to be able to express themselves and their abilities in a multitude of ways: artistic, scientific, athletic, communicative, etc rather than having a narrow path and little choice. This is even more true for women whose role is singular and whose other abilities are censored.

They are not "leaving the community" they are leaving yidishkeit! They can leave and become litfish or more open minded. Also the chassish community is very successful monetarily despite their " lack of a good secular education"!

Did anyone do the hard stats on the percentage how many boys come out of yeshivas and start a successful business opposed to the percentage of boys who have to depend on community funds and gov't services? Without this there is only open ended debate.

Wow !! Just wow. Frida and Eli you explained it so good I can't agree more. I live in Williamsburg Brooklyn brought up (and still am) ultra Orthodox, I was thought almost no English I thought myself some basically by reading and watching ( illegally of course..😉) and I still sound like a immigrant... I'm so angry about this but this is the sad fact. I was actually happy when the new York state started taking action, I really hope that some change is coming but I doubt it since this has become a religious fight now. But the points you said is so true. Leaving the community would be almost the same hard Even if you know a decent English and some basic skills. And the fight is about our whole view of how our world should look like. One part which I think is not stressed on is that people have saying for years that change in needed and there is no sensible reason in the world that 3d generation wouldn't speak the language of the land and this is unheard of but it fall on deaf ears either because of lack of money or maybe because they deliberately didn't want change because they were think it's not that important and People can get by by knowing just a little. Either way anyone with a half a brain and not an extreme fanatic would agree that basic English is a basic human need and a must, and when I say basic I mean not that you can make a phone call to the bank or ask directions but to speak English like you were born in New York City... Which by chance we did.. but nothing has changed so some angry individuals who left the community started making some noise and the government is starting to look in to suddenly we get all offensive and angry. And and we are busy saying that we don't want gender studies and all kind of science in our curriculum, well tough on us. No one in their right mind would accept that people who live here a few generations already are speaking English like some one who moved here yesterday from Vietnam and and nor should they accept that Anyway I don't think anything will change and because now it's a religious fight and nothing probably won't change Anyway I really enjoyed the interview and Eli was really honest and was speaking sensible (at least to me). And Frida I love your channel and i am amazed that you have even have the possibility to have a natural and even positive look on the hasidic community after you left. I know it's really hard and it roughs up some of those that leave and your so genuine and and you can talk and see positive on a place that brought you so much pain, that's something!!

I was born in Hungary Iam a grand mother today. We did not have jewish schools so I went to public school. The teacher used to beat us up even the girls. It has nothing to do with being chasidic.

In the Genesis story that opens the Bible, on the sixth day of creation the Bible tells us that all human beings are created “in the image of G-d” (b'tzelem Elohim). Rabbinic teaching interprets this expression to mean that all people are deserving of being treated with dignity. If the lack of English taught in these schools makes people feel undignified, doesn't that to some degree undermine one of the basic values or truisms of Judaism? If we agree that it does, does that indignity tarnish the efficacy of their jewish education?

Forgive my ignorance. From watching this video, which is very good, I still have questions. I understand that the children will live within their community after school. But if the boys are not fully prepared in secular education are they able to obtain jobs and provide for themselves and their families as they get older and marry.

It’s fine there is Hebrew and Religious Studies. The state has standards of learning. Those are meant to make sure at 16-18 a child could get a job or continue education. Other religions have religious studies in private schools and those kids have a working knowledge of math and the language. Even home schoolers have a standard.

OH MAN! This is something my 12 grade seniors always have trouble getting. Yes group x in "indoctrinated" but we all are I been indoctrinating you (as you civic's teacher) to value, individual liberty, freedom of though, critical thinking etc.. But that is still me inflicting a value system on you. I personally believe in that value system, it is the dominate value system of our culture and time, but that does make it a universal or natural way of existing.

If schools are going to receive school funding then they need to follow the requirements for secular education. If they choose not to follow the rules then they should not get funding

Wow 👏good video

Eli missed so many points. I wish someone like him would explain the need for nearly all the men in the community, even those with no love or aptitude for it, to study for hours upon hours a day to the exclusion of family and career. Meanwhile women are better educated so they end up being the breadwinners while doing the vast majority of housework and child rearing. In the shteytls men worked and a select few studied the texts. Now it is just a select few who work. We are in many ways a rural people and to have so many people who live apart from the world smack dab in the middle of the most populus cities is rather odd. In many ways the studies and isolation would work so much better in large rural communities that rely on farming and export to the larger world. That being said I see the struggle of men leaving school in the Chabad world. They speak perfect English and have a better secular basis but still they struggle to support their families. I think of a few who came to terms with a disconnect between loving their faith and community but also not having a desire to study the texts daily. Also ones who need to work or want to. They struggle while seeing converts from secular Judaism to religious who have degrees and skills and see their own lives and struggles against their better educated brethren. Also dude we don’t use Netflix to raise our kids. Do I sometimes turn in Miss Rachel or My little Pony for 20 minutes to cook dinner or get a break? Sure. But I also don’t have older girls I’ve parentified. The haughty attitude is very much why I left the path towards Hasidic life myself. And the intolerant idea that being loving towards lgbtq and others who don’t fit a mold is somehow indoctrination and wrong. Imagine the children in his school and others who struggle to figure out why they feel different and can’t define their needs and emotions. He seems so close to getting it yet still so far.

I thought the main thrust of the criticism was that the Hasidic school system gets an inordinate amount of government funding without providing an adequate education (by mainstream standards of course). I’m thinking of a series of articles in the New York Times about how private Hasidic schools are “flush with public money”.,….

my sister is a career counselor who works with many graduates of this system and none are prepared to make it in the outside world they have failed all of these boys

It would be nice to see more Hasidic lawyers, accountants, surveyors, architects, engineers, pilots, etc. With that said, I think there is a huge misconception and twisted logic when it comes to this topic. I know plenty ppl that attended college and received diplomas but don’t have 2 pennies to rub together, while others that barley speak English are making a very nice living. It has mostly to do with ones willpower and motivation. While everyone deserves a good education, that does not guarantee anyone with lots of money. There are also plenty rich people that are not successful in other areas of life. Parents and educators need to teach their kids to have motivation and ambition and drive them to want to be successful in life. The education part is not the sole mechanism or even the most important element to achieve those rich results

The Amish give a year, so to speak, then they can choose a secular life and or stay in the Amish community. These communities should allow their children to have a secular education. You can be religious and live in a seculiar world.

I'm surprised that the State of New York has not gotten involved to demand?/force?/assure? that the boys side receives some standardized level of secular academic instruction. Don't the boys have to take certain standardized state mandated tests?

my 19 year old daughter graduated from poor public school. She went on to college to be a teacher. The belief that kids don’t get an education is bullshit. My daughter is not only thriving in college, she got a award her first year of college for perfect grades/ marks. She is on her second year of college and thriving. My 17 year old daughter is in 12th grade and she is thriving as well. If you have kids that “want” to learn they will. Sadly alot of kids parents don’t care if their kids do well or not, so a lot of the kids don’t do well in school. It’s not that they aren’t being taught.

I take it the Satmar schools are free?

I was surprised by his perception of Chasidism moving into right wing politics when I see such gross anti-semitism on the right-Nazi flags/salutes/language and open calls in some corners for deportation and even extermination.

Every American child deserves to grow up here speaking English, as a birthright. The deserve a comprehensive education that keeps them equal with their secular peers.

The reason why secular studies are not focused on in chassidish boys schools, is because of ‘bitul Torah’ which means wasting time that can be used to study Torah. Guys have an obligation to study Torah ‘all the time’ while girls are only obligated to learn what pertains to them.

The problem in New York is a political and financial one. There ARE two clashing value systems. If religious parents wanted their child in public school, they’d send them there. The fact is, G-d has made man with a certain amount of intelligence and common sense. If a Chassidish, Amish, Traditional Catholic, Conservative Christian person does choose to leave the culture of his upbringing, most have the ability to catch up, learn a trade, or enter a university for a professional career. Public school authorities have no right to enter a religious or private school unannounced, walk about for two hours, and determine that the Board of Regents must shut down the school because of the methods and content of secular sources. You are within your right to refuse entrance of adults to a school where children are present. That is today, a matter of safety and security.

I find Frida’s work very interesting including this interview. But I’m signing off early from this one because it’s very repetitive.

Mr. Spitzer, you have made such a Kiddush H=shem. You are BRILLIANT, ARTICULATE and correct about everything that you said.

This guy get's it . . .

The Internet has taken the place of libraries and allows us access to many more resources than I had at my local library growing up, or even in my university library system (although I will concede that I may have had access to more _esoteric_ sources in that library system, and I didn't have to worry about paywalls!); therefore, children need access to the Internet in order to learn how to do research and how to synthesize knowledge. The big issue, IMO, is parents who use the Internet (or at least apps on their phones) as babysitters and pacifiers for their preschoolers (I've seen many a mother unable to make a phone call or bring up an app for a coupon because her toddler ran down the battery, or because said child will throw a loud hissy fit if she takes the phone away from it, and I've heard of stories of two-year-olds who can figure out how to access not just their kiddie app, but also the phone and make phone calls, and also how to access in-app purchases without the parent's approval)...

It all comes down to keeping them attached. This is America. The kids should have a valid choice.

Even in Miami, where there is heavy use of Spanish, school is in English.

45:00 As far as boys are concerned, (as apposed to girls), boys are always more of a handful. It sounds gender specific, and perhaps it is for me to say so, but boys are more inclined to be obstinate, energetic, unruly, etc. This would explain why mothers would have an easier time with their daughters at home, and the boys having a higher propensity toward being a flight risk as well. It's also not uncommon for girls to have more responsibility at home and to have higher expectations and stricter boundaries for behavior attached to them. So for both parents and the community (or any culture for that matter) to address this through educational instruction specifically geared towards boys make perfect sense.

As an outsider I say continue living according to your belief. Nothing is perfect and balance is the key to living a whole life, however I think most can admit the Jewish way of living is something to be admired, and is. The grass isn't greener on the other side and the secular world offers nothing but death and destruction. Be grateful you have a REAL community and aren't force to have to assimilate to this garbage!

I’m always wondering why religious Jews don’t have the equivalent of a BYU or BJU or a liberty U? I wouldn’t say that BJU or LU are good colleges and know quite a few former students who hated going there …. But even these religious xtian universities have accreditation and have some capacity to give their students greater skills while keeping them in a more religious environment. All I can think of is Yeshiva University but it’s incredibly exclusive. Why don’t us Jews have a religious university in which to study practical secular subjects? Or am I missing something?

Boys 45:31 learn Torah, girls don’t and girls usually will have children quite young and will not want to abandon them or G-d forbid loose them to the community. This has also happened that young women who leave have had their children taken from them because the children “belong to the community.” There was a documentary filmed on a woman who had her children taken from her. Again this happened in the last 15-20 years in the Satmar community in NYC. Maybe things have changed.

I'm curious, are outsiders welcomed to patronize Jewish businesses? Im especially interested in the Jewish cell phones.

When harm comes to a child (under 18) it is no less harmful to boys than girls. Being cyberbullied, quite apart from exposure to forms of content capable of making life miserable for adults let alone kids, is painful, dangerous, scarring and potentially life threatening. Exposure at school in western society makes protection almost impossible.

Why can’t we be friends? Why can’t Hassidic communities see the secular teaching as preparing them to connect with the wider world? Could you share your holiness with us, and accept our learning as our gift.

In America at least the ideal of universal public education is that it prepares people for citizenship. Each person growing up in America should have at least a basic education that allows them to participate as citizens. This includes literacy, math, science, history, etc. You do need more than 1 hour a day. I don't see the current situation changing unless its a matter of dina d'malchuta dina (you must follow the law of the land). I believe it's possible to create a secular curriculum that meets the basic requirements without destroying or harming the community. But when each school is competing to be more restrictive than the next - then there is no hope that the system will correct itself. Maybe the chassidic community can get an exemption from New York State to allow kids to leave school in 6th or 8th grade, like the Amish. Then, there would be no issue of bitul Torah for boys over 13 - they could focus (seriously) on English and secular studies at younger ages. The Amish have had an accommodation with the state and its requirements since the 1970s - we have a model. The community should set a minimum standard that is acceptable to the state and have boys achieve that standard. That's all. It's a requirement - like paying taxes or registering a slaughterhouse or putting the English date on a secular document. That's it. It's not appropriate for the state to try to use education to change religious values - that's not one of the goals of universal education. That's an entirely different conversation.

1:09:56 •healthy suspicion of anything new“ is what i have! Could it be the reason i adore Hasidics? (An atheist asking 😂)

איש אמת

52:48 By this definition every country and nation not to mention religion qualifies. We are all enculturated from birth and taught to believe we're superior for being American or French or Indian or Christian or Mormon. If we're going to define term 'cult' and address that perception, I think the best way to qualify it is by inherently unhealthy and unsafe structures or behaviors, like for instance polygamy which includes young girls under 18, or the use of violent abuse for discipline. Otherwise we disregard and disrespect the nature of diversity in community and religion.

Chassidic parents need to understand the world around them to properly frame the negative aspects of the world at large. To simply say don't look, dont listen iconveys insufficient information. That is a non-starter for the child.

Talk about trying to get a word in edgewise…

May I ask, not being disrespectful, are both men and women in your community virgins at time of marriage? If so, that’s wonderful!

Im fed up of the argument being secular education vs seforim based. To be honest, me personally, i didnt gain anything from highschool education. I dont really inderstand the point of school or think the curriculum is engaging at all. It doesnt provide modern day tools to engage in the world. Eg, basic plumbing, diy, electrics, vechulu. Lets be honest, school is there as day care so that the parents can go to work during the day. That said, why not give them tools like the above. Teach em to be a maverick.

We have a lot of jews where I am from in NE England and also of course here in London. I have no problems with the various kinds of jews educating their children as they choose within the law. I do have a problem where people (anyone of any kind) relies on state benefits and the very very high taxes (highest UK tax burden for 70 years currently in 2023).

I wish there was a way to prepare them to have jobs in the community . So men could take care of the family and have less strain on government or charity.

As someone who went to Catholic schools in the 1950s and 1960s, I wish the Jewish religious community wouldn't rely on tax dollars (and the Catholics got no direct aid when I was going). I hope to watch this entire video, so maybe my opinion will change.

The parents of the kids in these schools don’t want it like this. They just don’t say anything so they remain a good family who put their kids in the system that will guarantee them matches. The girls have half day math science English and they are still Jewish, observe a Jewish life, know enough Torah. And their school day shorter some years than the boys. A few generations ago the sages were not boys spending 1 hour a day learning secular subject and 7-9 hours learning Torah and other religious subjects. They likely learned some of the time at home as well with dad. They may have had a few hours for a hobby or skill. If a parent asks for change they will be shunned by the community and likely leave it just so they can be labeled as outside the community and their request for change not sincerely coming from the community. Further the class sizes are larger. That one hour a day is even less helpful. Why are parents spending thousands per kid for that? It’s coming to tens of thousands per year. The other complication is the school schedules for the boys and girls schools don’t line up. Leaving child care more a problem for the women making the money, bearing the kids, raising the kids. There is a circular economy to all this that is not sustainable. The tuitions are well above Catholic schools but in those the teachers are not religious single people anymore but lay people married with a working spouse or single many with kids. Anyone complaining is told it costs a lot to run a school. To cover those with learning fathers, others are charged more. Teachers paid a lot because they have several kids to put through the school, the buildings having to be excellent to make the price tag worth it and some don’t have working spouse. Parents enrolling no matter the cost cause their kids can’t marry decent if they are not in the system. Classrooms overstuffed. And because sect matters so much everyone needs to go to their own subset school instead of walking down the block to the your favorite of the 2 schools within 5 blocks of their house. That means busing, more hassle in the morning and afternoon, more money some of it from taxes. And a ridiculous number of schools to open, manage.. Yet everyone still has to be in walking distance of a shul. But a school can be far away or close just taking a long time to get there because of the traffic of thousands of school kids in vehicles instead of walking to and from school. And in some places like Lakewood parents are not even picking the school. The school is decided for them. Some families send to multiple girl elementary schools just cause some had a place and another didn’t. Israel can manage this a lot more cleanly. Where does the Torah say you have to hand over half your income so someone else can teach your kids to be Jewish? Why does the school decide how long the mom’s wig is? Why is that not between the woman her and her rabbi and you just teach the hair is to be covered and let the shul direct the details? Maybe every shul needs two classrooms and two teachers. One for all boys and one all girls and go back to one room schoolhouse days? It just seems set up to be complicated for the sake of being complicated. Some schools allow internet so those kids parents could get their kids in an online class to supplement but not all allow.

Dear Ms. Vizel, Dear Mr Spitzer, I dissagree with your stances on this topic. There is an entire genre of Rabbi's lamenting about the lack of education and loss of identity amongst secular Jews. Whilst denying said education to people such as myself. This (to my opinion) is a side effect of this isolationism. And also the absolute nature of the values instilled. Sephardic Jews, for instance are still being denied the basic freedoms such as dress, language and even accent. Simply because we have different rites. And diversity conflicts with absolute values. Moreover, I am under the impression that Jewish youths aren't given decent social skills. A great example is the idea of being submissive to one's husband ~in the case of girl's education~ and the active avoidance of discussing foreign cultures. People should have some factual knowlege of what lays beyond. My mum had extreme difficulty recognising abuse because of these. And, consequently, had a certain naïvité about the 'outside world'. Resulting in her being unable to integrate into Chabad society, ~my mum is religious, but Rabbi's seem to be repulsed with her ~ falling out, and being abused. Thus I beleive that teaching some accurate facts about the outside helps in preventing assimilation. You can counter this by argueing that even the 'good' secular education I enjoyed didn't give me said skills either. But secular culture values drinking coca cola we, however care about our cultural heritage. Hence we should give our children the necesary skills to be a Jew inside of a Goyish world.

The problem in New York is that the department of education wants to force the public school curriculum into the Yeshiva system. That curriculum can contai presentations antithetical to Jewish values. Evolution, for example, is in direct opposition to to the Biblical account of creation.

דאָס איז אַן אויסגעצייכנטע אינטערוויו. ישר כח פרידאַ.

Where is this “community/family/religious observance is all important” any different than African muslims demanding we respect their religious customs of female genital mutilation? Where does the community end, and the rights of the child begin?

After watching all the Shoah video’s and how so many of the surviving Jews went on to get a amazing education and became doctors, lawyers, teacher, professors, and much more. I guess what I’m thinking is, it’s surprising that in most cases education is not as important as y’all community. I agree with what he said about not teaching the boys English, not learning English doesn’t really give them a chance to make outside connection’s with non Jewish girls/ women. I’d guarantee it’s to keep their kids away from outside influence which I almost understand a tiny bit and I’m not religious loosely Catholic. I went to a religious school but it was only like 2 days a week. They have been Catholic school that boys and girls absolutely get a proper education they tend to thrive in the world and most stick to their religion and go on to have kids, marriage, etc. I will say I respect Jewish people just as I’d respect any other religion, race,etc. growing up I had no idea about Jewish people and what we learned in school I wasn’t extremely passionate about any history but as a adult I’m grateful for all the Shoah foundations work as well as yours Frieda. You seem like one of the most kindest people I’ve watched.

He doesn't argue on behalf of the community. He keeps on saying that it's social organization etc. Without mentioning that it is the right way to live because our purpose in this world is to serve God and this is the optimal way to do this.