New York, NY – A presentation to put a Hebrew language charter school in Harlem was met with fierce resistance from local officials and residents, who want the school to move elsewhere.
Harlem Hebrew, modeled after Brooklyn’s Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, would serve the upper West Side and a portion of Harlem.
It would be open to all students in Community School District 3.
However, Community Board 10 members fired back at the idea following a presentation by school officials Wednesday night.
“It’s an abomination. It’s an insult,” said Board 10 member Isis Ausar.
“To be perfectly honest, I don’t think it should be in Central Harlem. I think they should find another location.”
Ausar suggested maybe a largely Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.
“I could not go over there and propose a school and say it’s an African language school…,” Ausar said. “I have no problems with another language, but they want modern Hebrew and that’s not going to help our children in any way.”
Dan Gerstein, a spokesman for the Midwood school, said naysayers are not giving it a chance.
“[The school is] focused on breaking down barriers and understanding across cultures,” he said.
Read more in NY Daily News