Hamodia had an article in their print edition over the weekend on various Jewish communities around the world. One of them was about Chicago. The focus of course was on the Frum portion of that community. It was quite a nice piece explaining how various institutions were developed and have gone on to thrive and how various Rabbanim have contributed to Chicago’s religious growth. It listed the number of religious schools and featured the Yeshivishe elementary schools Yeshivas Tifferes Tzvi and Beis Yaakov elementary school. All very fine and good. The problem is that both of these schools were portrayed as the primary schools in Chicago and the largest. And the context is not presented as Charedi. It is presented in a non Hashkafic, matter of fact way.
Once again there has been a deliberate attempt to distort history and the importance of the oldest and largest elementary school in Chicago. How they can totally ignore Arie Crown Hebrew Day School (ACHDS) is quite shocking. Not only is it the oldest school. It is by far the largest. It has over 700 children and had to turn away students this year for lack of space. There are currently plans to enlarge the school.. the third such expansion at the current location in the last 20 years. ACHDS is, however not the Yeshivishe school. I suspect that this is the reason it was ignored.
It doesn’t seem to matter that it is considered a prototype institution by Torah U’Mesorah for other day schools or that its last principal, Rabbi Meir Shapiro is the prototype of a successful principal. Nor does it seem to matter that any student who has chosen… or that will choose… to go to the most Right Wing of Yeshiva high schools has been able or will be able to do so based on the level of Torah education there. Its Hashkafa is a combination of Torah Im Derech Eretz, Torah uMadda, with a strong dose of Ahavas Eretz Yisroel thrown in for good measure. And virtually all Rebbeim are of the Yeshivshe mentality… many from the Lakewood Kollel and even Telshe. In short, they get a dose of everything there.
But as far as HaModia is concerned, it is off the radar. It not even named as a school. Only the Yeshivishe day school is mentioned praised, and it is called the largest school.
I doubt that this is just an oversight. I believe that it is a deliberate attempt to marginalize any school that does not tow the Charedi line.
I know that Hamodia is a Charedi newspaper. I understand that it believes strongly in its Hashkafos. But to totally ignore the oldest and largest day school in Chicago as though it doesn’t even exist is nothing short of lying to push their own agenda, in my view.
And people think I am a basher. Is it not bashing hundreds of students, teachers, and administration, to lie through omission? Is it not bashing to omit even the mention of the school and thereby marginalize it and its Hashkafa? Is it not bashing to directly lie about the size of the Yeshivishe day school? If it isn’t bashing then it is worse because it is bashing insidiously through omission.
All of my children went to ACHDS. I will match my son’s Yeshivshe credentials against anyone. My daughters’ Hashkafos range anywhere from Yeshivish to TIDE to TuM. although none of them can really be pegged to any one of those Hashkafos. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. ACHDS does not try to fit their students into specific molds. They allow that each child has a family Mesorah and they encourage them to follow it. This is one reason why my children were able to flourish there.
Apparently, The Hashkafa of Hamodia prefers the cookie cutter model for their students. Too bad it feels it has to lie to make sure people get its message.
