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| Orthodox Jewish day school children |
I don’t want to overstate my renewed hope regarding the
reversal of a troubling trend. But I do have some hope that we can reverse the trend of the growing number of American Jews abandoning
their Jewish future. This trend is reflected in rising rates of intermarriage
and a widespread ignorance of Jewish heritage - leaving many with little or no
ability to pass it on to their children, who in turn have no interest in
learning about it.
Of course, this is not true across the board. There are many
American Jews — not necessarily fully observant or observant at all — who do
care about their Judaism and do make efforts to pass it on. Some are
successful, and some are not. But the sad reality is that, unless something
changes, the great mass of American Jewry may soon become a thing of the past.
And yet, there are two recent developments that give me a
sense of hope — developments that might change this trajectory to a far greater
extent than I ever thought possible. But before addressing them, it’s worth
revisiting how we got here. It all boils down to one thing: the lack of a
significant Jewish education. There are a variety of reasons for this, among
them:
- The
“melting pot” culture of pre-Holocaust America that encouraged
assimilation and discouraged distinct religious or ethnic identities.
- The
desire of children of earlier Jewish immigrants to distance themselves
from their parents’ “Old World” ways in pursuit of the American dream.
- The
near absence of an organized Jewish educational system prior to the
Holocaust.
- And
more recently, the skyrocketing cost of Jewish education. Which has become
prohibitive even for middle-class families with decent incomes, and
continues to grow less affordable every year.
By the time we entered the 21st century, this
combination of factors - especially the
cost - made Jewish day school education an unlikely choice for most families,
except the most highly motivated. In most cases, that has meant Orthodox Jews.
As a result, we now have a strong and growing Orthodox
community. But one whose size pales in comparison to the vast number of Jews
who never had access to such an education.
Encouragingly, it appears that the non-Orthodox Jewish
community - at least those who care deeply about the future of American Jewry -
are waking up to the fact that Jewish education is what’s missing most. And
that only education has a real chance of reversing the current trend.
This was a key point made by Jewish activist, Shira Goodman,
former CEO of Staples, in an eJewish Philanthropy article:
“I’ve learned that real, lasting growth doesn’t come from sticking to the old playbook — it demands shaking things up, thinking differently, and sometimes even inviting entirely new players into the game.”
Barry Finestone, in an earlier article, proposed a shift in
communal strategy from a defensive focus on antisemitism to a proactive focus
on Jewish joy. He passionately urged:
“Let’s pour more resources into camps, day schools, trips to Israel, youth groups and other experiences proven to deliver strong outcomes. We know these things work.”
Goodman says this vision fuels her work on a new project
called the Lauder Impact Initiative (LII) — a bold experiment aimed at
transforming the narrative and trajectory of Jewish day school enrollment.
The long and short of it is this: increasing enrollment in
Jewish day schools requires inspiring prospective families to reshape their
sense of Jewish identity - and helping
them see themselves as ‘day school families’. This can be done by encouraging
interaction between current day school families and those considering
enrollment.
It also requires disabusing them of common misperceptions,
such as:
- Overestimating
the cost of attendance due to limited awareness of available financial
aid.
- Concerns
about a perceived lack of socioeconomic diversity.
- Assumptions
about rigid religious expectations, often based on outdated impressions of
what Jewish day schools are like.
It also means doubling down on early childhood education,
building strong secular studies programs, and offering rich
extracurricular activities. All designed to meet the expectations of
parents accustomed to the educational experiences provided by top public and
private schools.
This is precisely the kind of ambitious, visionary thinking
we need from lay leaders like Shira Goodman if we’re going to reverse the
trajectory so many American Jews have taken. One leading out of Judaism
entirely.
But perhaps the greatest boost to this noble goal comes from
something that just happened in the U.S. Senate.
As reported by VIN, the Senate recently passed a bill that
includes the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). The most
important aspect of which is the following:
Families earning up to 300% of their area’s median income can apply for scholarships through certified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). These scholarships can be used for yeshiva tuition, Jewish studies materials, Hebrew language tutoring, and other educational expenses that support Torah learning…
The program’s generous income limits mean that many working Orthodox families will qualify. In communities like Lakewood, NJ, or Brooklyn, NY, even families earning well into six figures may still be eligible for assistance — a recognition of the high cost of living in areas with established Jewish communities.
This truly is game-changing. Not only for Orthodox
parents struggling to meet tuition obligations or schools struggling with
budgets. It is game-changing because it removes one of the main barriers
preventing non Orthodox Jewish parents from enrolling their children in day
schools in the first place: cost.
When combined with the shifting attitude about the importance of Jewish education to Jewish survival in America, this new national voucher program gives me real hope. Hope that we can turn things around to a far greater extent than anyone might have imagined just a few short years ago.
