Tag: education

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MOSCOW - The Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard Madoff is the latest in a string of financial blows to Jewish aid programs in the former Soviet Union, wiping out a major foundation that was the primary funder of Jewish higher education in Russia.

"[Judah] Touro's name will always be numbered among the foremost in the annals of American philanthropy. His charities knew neither race nor creed, and his public spirit was no less noteworthy."[i]

On December 5, 2008, Jewish women from across America and from diverse backgrounds will participate at a Shabbat retreat in Boulder, Colorado.

On December 5, 2008, Jewish women from across America and from diverse backgrounds will participate at a Shabbat retreat in Boulder, Colorado.

In the past weeks Israel has been rocked by a rash of murders - murders of children at the hands of their parents or in one case, the grandfather.

Question: Have you encountered any hostility from family or friends for attending college?

Not long ago posters appeared in a number of synagogues in Brooklyn banning a recently published book that, according to the posters, contained misleading halachic rulings.

Who was the one person most responsible for perpetuating traditional Judaism in 19th century America? The indisputable answer: Isaac Leeser.

Honestly, would we imagine ever not paying the custodian on time? Would we expect the custodian to return to work month after month without receiving his salary?

At this time of year, honey, and the sweetness it represents, plays a major role in our celebrations.

Jewish religious observance suffered a propitious decline in early- and mid-20th century America.

There was a time when it was thought unnecessary to give women an academic education equal to the one given to men.

A number of weeks ago I received an email from someone asking me to consider writing an article about yeshiva high school students and college education.

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Mordechai and Barbara Goldman came on Aliyah in 1975 from Toronto, Canada. Barbara grew up in Toronto and was active in Bnei Akiva (madricha and rosh snif) and NCSY.

Purim, which is not too far away, reminds us that people often can wear masks to hide their true identity.

In "The Case for Secular Studies in Yeshivas" (front-page essay, Nov. 19, 2004) I outlined my thoughts about problems yeshivas are having with general studies and suggested changes.

Oftentimes, one will find it far more useful to engage a piece of art in terms of what issues it raises and what questions it asks, rather than what ideological statements it offers or answers it proposes.

Olim in those days left behind all their friends and much of their family, and, unlike today, found it expensive and difficult to be in contact with them.

"When I was in the illustrious city of Vilna in the presence of the Rav, the light, the great Gaon, my master and teacher, the light of the eyes of the exile, the renowned pious one (may Hashem protect and save him) Rav Eliyahu, in the month of Teves 5538 [January 1778], I heard from his holy mouth that according to what a person is lacking in knowledge of the "other wisdoms," correspondingly he will be lacking one hundred portions in the wisdom of the Torah, because the Torah and the 'other wisdoms' are inextricably linked together ..."

There has always been a hard-line Stalinist communist party or two at the margins of Israeli politics.

QUESTION: I am presently nursing. I would like to know until what age it is permissible to nurse my child soon after feeding him chicken. In general, how long do we wait between eating meat and dairy?A Concerned Mother New York City

It is rare to find a book notable for its area of concern, its contributors, its sponsorship, and its publisher. But Wisdom From All My Teachers rates high on each level.

During the summer of 2002 I wrote hopefully in The Jewish Press about Sulam, a special education network in Jerusalem. At that time, I reminded my readers that as life had become increasingly difficult for Israelis in general, it had become even more difficult for the country's developmentally disadvantaged Jewish children.

The arguments in favor of school choice and voucher systems have by now become quite familiar.

In my last article, I discussed the topic of "teens at risk." We have always had "teens at risk" within our yeshiva system, but they were segregated and referred to as the "bum class." This class was separated from the mainstream students, and given its own separate rebbe to provide support services. The success of this system was due to the fact that yeshivas followed the Torah con­cept that "majority rules".

In its last term, the United States Supreme Court narrowly upheld the constitutionality of publicly financed tuition vouchers for parochial school education. In effect the court said that if a public authority decided to include parochial schools in a program of general application, theFirst Amendment's requirement of separation between church and state did not prohibit it.

One of the burning issues being debated across America is the issue of school tuition vouchers. Many are advocating school choice as a means of allowing parents the opportunity to shop around for the best education for their children. Others, particularly those who send their children to religious day schools, are supporting vouchers as a constitutional means of securing funds for the secular portion of their children's education. That is, they seek the amount allocated by government for the education of all children. To be sure, there is ample room for debate on whether it is good law and whether it is, in any event, good policy.