BROOKLYN (VINnews) — A Jewish leader has penned an op-ed on a local news site, “Brooklyn Paper”, blasting the NY Times’ months-long crusade against Yeshivos.
In an op-ed entitled “Stop the unfair campaign against yeshivos”, Avi Greenstein, CEO of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council, expressed his “pain and anguish” that a “paper of record can lob such hate-bombs in the 21st century and get next to no response outside the Orthodox community.”
He said that the Times got it “utterly, hatefully and painfully wrong”, and that the Jewish People in fact “invented the concept of secular education” over two centuries ago.
Greenstein wrote: ”One thing is a constant among us Boro Parkers — an uncompromising devotion to a traditional Jewish education. Our yeshivas are the crown jewels of our community.”
He added, “The New York Times has placed a target squarely on the back of our yeshivos…If it were some white supremacist website lobbing such charges, it would be labeled – and rightly so – as antisemitic.”
Greenstein continued, “We, the Jewish People, invented the concept of secular education 2,500 years ago.”
“The Times cherry picks selected statistics and relies on a handful of discontents who left the Orthodox community to make its “case”…to describe it as misleading would be an understatement.”
The op-ed concluded: “…the relentless attacks in print on us is rightfully feared by many of us to only encourage more physical attacks on visibly Orthodox Jews. In the world’s most tolerant and liberal city, how can this stand unchallenged?”
with all due respects, Jews did NOT invent secular education. Just the opposite, Jews always had religious education. It was when “equality” was given to the Jews that they began looking into secular education, that was the beginning of the “Haskala” movement away from Jewish education.
This is a parody, right?
Its purpose to show that the NYT is correct?
Well, parody or not, given that this person is a “leader” and thinks so highly of his opinions that he considered them worthy of being publicized, this essay is a gift to looking to prove we’re ignorant.
Great job!!
Greenstein should better keep his mouth closed, rather than make such ridiculous statements. By expressing them, he provides evidence and ammunition for the NYT’s reporting of a serious lack in the secular education of certain Hasidic schools.
The historical fact is until after the Enlightenment Jews as a group were never interested in secular education. That’s why while Jews have made tremendous contributions to the secular sciences in the last few hundred years, prior to that back to “2,500 years ago” when we invented it our contributions are few & far between.
Is this guy smoking crack?
Jews invented “secular education” 2500 years ago, 500 BCE? In fact, right through the time of Rambam, around 1000 CE, the Gedolim universally attacked him for studying non-Torah subjects incl astronomy, medicine, mathematics, rhetoric. And the NYC metro area yeshivos under-educate and under-emphasize secular studies, as has been noted on VIN. The yeshivos know about the issue and can do much better. Look at the Amish & Mennonite and other conservative, insular religious communities. They do it right, so can we.
We invented it…
But that was before we invented the antidote of Chasidus.
we invented secular education?
What surprises me here is that Greenstein is from the Gur Hasidic sect, whose B.P. schools, as I understood, have – at least for years in the past – been relatively moderate on the issue (a local city councilman, K. Yeger, attended their – at least elementary I believe – school AFAIK).
And here he puts his foot in his mouth big time and speaks like someone from one of the more benighted sects.
This is a parody, right?
Its purpose to show that the NYT is correct?
Well, parody or not, given that this person is a “leader” and thinks so highly of his opinions that he considered them worthy of being publicized, this essay is a gift to those who seek to prove us ignorant.
Great job!!
Germany was also” tolerant and liberal”. And who makes ” leaders”?
This is confusing at best . How did any particular group invent secular education ?
In the same piece he speaks of “a thousand-year slump during the Middle Ages” in Europe, while the entire Middle Ages period was far less than that length.
“We the Jewish people invented secular education”. It wouldn’t kill you to have some humility.
https://youtu.be/FpuE_ZZCo3s
The New York Times editorial board should be forced to sit down and watch this great new documentary about the lives of Chasidim of New York. The success and the happy lifestyle that they enjoy. Maybe this will entice them to lay off their keyboards and spreading hate.
When you don’t judge yourself…..others will
No way in a million years HE wrote this. Who did he hire?
Riding the subway home 5 Black “Gentlemen” got on. I thought at worst I’d be attacked, at best they’d be loud & obnoxious. Much to my surprise they sat down & started discussing the NYT articles & the state of Hasidic education. Some very salient points were made both pro & con. What scares me is 1 of them was getting visibly upset about the lack of Hasidic secular education. He kept repeating, “I can’t let these boys continue to suffer from educational neglect. Every child deserves to go to college.”
I hope this doesn’t cause a physical attack on a visibly Orthodox Jew.
we will not get anywhere by doing this the facts are they hate us coming out against just fuels the flames and they are a big corporation the only thing that may help is showing evidence against it
He misspoke. We did not invernt “secular” education, but we invented “public” education. See the Gemara about Rabi Yehoshua ben Gamla.
I think he meant sexular education and refers to Meschesnida
Here is the truth and I can’t wait for the downvotes!
We don’t need secular studies. Most of us are well equipped without it. Yes we beat the system and have the skill set anyhow. What’s my proof? Look at the guys who never went to English
Past 7th grade yet go to pcs when 30 years old , and within two years are cpa some at the big 4. Lakewood even has guys at Harvard law! And yes same guys who never had a normal hs English. It’s a joke . So you’ll say but that’s only the real smart ones. Not to knock my accountant friends but bo many aren’t greater geniuses than those with hs ed. Touro also takes pride in its chasdish graduates as being bright. And then there are the very bright capable B&h folks. Maybe not as corporatey but bright and intelligent.
So wait why are so many not going to college and on programs? Because in America it’s dumb to raise a large family without programs. The math doesn’t make sense. You get much more on a net basis from hud snap wic Medicaid chs earned income credit etc vs a mid level accountant at pwc. Why would you do accounting? And by selling stuff on Amazon you often do better too. Then there is also the element that many don’t want to work in corporate with goyim as it’s not so tznuis. But it isn’t Bec they lack education. That’s all bogus.
PS I am pro secular education. But only for one reason. Because they can’t learn all day so why not. I say they should just learn a bit of writing, math and Microsoft office. But it isn’t so much because they lack anything. It’s simply to keep
Kids structured .
Abusive yeshivas that don’t teach anything useful.
Yashar Koach to him- we need to be strong and forceful defending our heilger yeshivos against the hate filled nyt and yaffed lies.