Quebec – A man who grew up in a Hasidic community from Boisbriand, Quebec, is suing the education ministry, the department of youth protection, the school board and two Jewish schools alleging that he is not able to function in society because he received less-than-standard education.
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CJAD News (http://bit.ly/11hGkfH) reports Yochanan Lowen, 36, is suing for $1.2 million dollars for damages and interest.
Lowen moved to Quebec from the U.K. when he was 10 years old in 1988. He attended the Yeshiva Beth Yuheda and the Oir Hachaim d’Tash rabbinical college – two schools which he claims are illegal and still open.
Lowen states he never received the standard Quebec curriculum because those schools are centered on Jewish education. His lawyer claims that because of this, Lowen doesn’t know how to speak French or English, doesn’t know how to count or read and cannot function in society.
TVA Nouvelles (http://bit.ly/1u8afO1) reports Max Lieberman, a spokesman for the Hasidic community in Outremont, says he does not personally know Lowen, but says it looks likes Lowen is “trying to gain sympathy by saying he was abused, but it is wrong. We educate our children differently from other children in Quebec, but it achieves the same goals. Our children are doing well. Our lives reflect our success. We have companies and are productive citizens. How could we do this if we were ignorant? “
The lawsuit says the education system intentionally violated his right to education according to Quebec law. He faults the education ministry in Quebec for failing to close the illegal schools.
The School Board of the Lordship-des-Mille-Iles has agreed to briefly comment on the case. The school board is also covered by the notice, as Mr. Lowen residing in its territory when he was in school.
“It should be recalled that the responsibility of educating a child belongs to his parents. It is their job to make the inclusion of their child in a school of a school board or a private school. A school board provides educational services to students duly enrolled by their parents. In this sense, the CSSMI has no responsibility in the situation of Mr. Lowen,” said Jonathan Desjardins Mallette, secretary and director of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Commission Scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles .
Lowen left the Hasidic community in 2010 and currently works as a Jewish religious instructor at a legal school.
I agree with his claim that he has no Jewish values and no secular values, just a scumbag parasite
Playing with fire…..I would not dare do this to the holy rebba of tosh, who build this with his own hands. He better think it over.
Another yutz. Just what we need
He doesn’t look like he’s 36 yrs. old. Maybe he is learning disabled. If his parents are Chassidish and sent him to that school, why isn’t he suing his parents for sending him there. If his parents aren’t Tosher Chassidim how could he have attended their schools? He is just a trouble maker trying to make some easy money.
Yochanan! I know you very well I’m actually your close cousin. I know You can read and you understand English very well. Plus you always enjoyed looking into lots of different “English books” about the big bang, and other books talking about none existence of God. You had spend many weeks in the Library reading
Your IQ level is pretty high. I know not as high as Zaida D.S.H. u”h but you did spend a lot of time outside the Yeshiva schedule You were on your own schedule. so you did have plenty of opportunities to get self educated. At the time you were a very strong opinionated person especially on the education system, you believed it was the right one. if you sue, you might consider suing your wonderful parents for putting you in this education system
I understand now you chose a different life and you are not succeeding and not successful at all. I do feel your pain I must say
I have 2 options for you: #1 come back to the community not necessarily the “Tosh” community but any frum community that will accept you back with 2 hands. we have plenty and wonderful organization that will help you move on in life
#2) look out in your circles you chose to be now, see if they have organizations to look out for their members to be able so they can succeed in life.
Its a breath of fresh Canadian air to hear from you again after so many years….
He claims he can’t count.
Who’s fault is that.
What a loser !!!
I personally know a few people who went through the same schools that he Is suing & are bright successful business people ,that can very well read, write & are able to count…..
Such balony!!
P.S. I also know some college educated induviduals who are unemployed & utter failures…
Guess what Lowen, based on the intelligence you exhibit by bringing this lawsuit, had you gone to college , you still wouldn’t be able to read ,write & count.
Just wondering why everyone is commenting on the “yutz” thats suing but nobody seems to care that most chasidish Cheders don’t provide the basic English education. Are we still OK with that?
I, for one, think it’s great what he’s doing. The Yeshivas need that extra push to provide our kids with a decent education.
Obviously they can succeed without it, but it would be helpful if they didn’t need to struggle so hard.
Haha, indeed he is dumb.
he was my rabbI in chaider, and he was acting like a REAL TOSHER!!!!
neboch, got off the derech with his wife both unemployed try to make money with dirty tricks
This picture is NOT yochanan it’s his innocent son who will eventually be”h make a full comeback and REALLY hate his parents for screwing up his life
the guy is an oysvorf who wants to make a free buck. He had PLENTY of time to go to school and learn another language or for that matter do what ever he wanted. If I was judgy wudgy, I throw the case out pronto!
I checked his social media pages and I see he is one major self hater with lots of issues and now he’s trying to make a buck off the defendant.
Well let’s all sue NYC for pollution,grafittee and crowded streets.
I know Yochanan, and all I can say is, that he is short in money and decided to make an easy buck. Yochanan, do tshuva and come back to yiddishkeit or leave us all alone. You’re a self hating jew that killed your entire family for your own gain. Hashem will help, and eventually your children will be come ehrliche yidden, this will iyh be your biggest pain, and I wish you that pain b’korev mamesh.
My sons didn’t have secular studies in yeshiva and studied them on their own. There are GED classes that a person can take. If a person has trouble with these, he can hire a tutor. The good thing about becoming an adult is that whatever you missed when you were a child, you can do as an adult.
Yes my husband went to Heimisha Chasidishe Cheder and yeshiva, and althought he learnt very little , he caught up very well with his education. He listened a lot of english after his Yeshiva years. ter He speaks now very well english, people even say WOW to his words, His spelling needs reviewing ocasionally, but he is State acredited on his business and Boruch Hashem leads a normal life. My kids know also very little and I wish they learnt in cheder more. but this will not change in this gilgul. parents can introduce a little more english home. and my husband speaks general knowledge things to our kids during supper like the mint, inflation, presidents, bring down this wall, etc etc
Wow, some people are so mean. They attack other because of their English language skills! Speaking and writing English well does not make you a nice, fulfilled or even intelligent person!
Public school kids, with all their fancy curriculum, are not more educated, smarter, more successful, earn more financially or generally live happier, more fulfilled lives than children in Cheder learning English until 4th grade.
That being said, I think that chedarim and yeshivas should continue English education until the boys are out of yeshiva.
But for those supporting this idiot who went to court to sue the mosdos he attended, if you think he’s doing the right thing, then your kids don’t belong in Chareidi institutions. Perhaps you’ll be happier for them in schools where they teach them secular education at an advanced level. Go ahead, change schools, I’m sure you’ll be happy with your choice…
Stop hating Yohanan. Almost everyone here recognizes that learning English is important for economic success. We all know that chasidish yeshivas in the US, Israel, Canada, the UK and other countries short change their students and lie to govvernment authorities. Dina dimalchusa dina. Chazal say, when sons are not taught a livelihood, in the end the sons will become robbers. There is a big, big problem. The most chasidish villages are the ones with the highest poverty rates. And let’s admit it, this leads people to fraud.
This lawsuit is based on a fair complaint according to civil law and Torah thinking. I cannot say what the facts are in this case. But I will bet, most of those hating on Yochanan also don’t know the facts. They just feel a need to attack him because they think Jews should tolerate educational negligence rather than get the government to change things.
If his suit succeeds, yeshivas will change and many other children will get a decent education. That is something good.
Every time I ask a Hasidic child what their favorite class in school is, they say “English.” Of course. This is why haredim fear secular education: they know that their kids would see through their corruption and self imposed isolation as well their self-imposed poverty of ideas and wealth.
The government exists to keep people from eating each other. They failed just as Euro governments allow Muslim schools to teach that Jews are descendants of pigs and girls should marry at 12.
That said, this should be a wake up call to yeshivas and Quebec. I am not sure I would vote for his cause in court, but the frustration he feels comes from years of neglect by family and government.
An education that provides reasonable prospects to which one can succeed in life, is a human right .. Hopefully this will force these enclosed communities to provide their children with a decent education..