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We are right now in a critical period as the longstanding fight to ensure educational equality in non-public schools, including Haredi Yeshivas, hits a defining moment. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) recently released new regulations that aim to enforce the Substantial Equivalency education law. The public comment period, a window of time designated […]

There are many, many hurdles and obstacles in the way of ensuring that every child attending a Yeshiva in New York State gets the education he or she deserves. The obvious one is the lack of political will. Another one is the present lack of clarity from the state regarding what constitutes “substantial equivalency” and

2021 saw Yaffed continuing to lead the charge towards lasting change for the tens of thousands of Haredi school children currently being denied a basic secular education in many Haredi yeshivas across New York. We are pleased to provide a round-up of our greatest achievements from the last 365 days, that all highlight Yaffed’s one

Yaffed is excited to partner with our allies for the first ever international Day of Choice – Yom HaBechira in Hebrew – on October 27th. What is Yom HaBechira? Translated from Hebrew, Yom HaBechira means the Day of Choice. Our allies in Israel, Yotzim Leshinuy, have taken the lead in formally inaugurating this important day,

Yaffed is a non-profit organization advocating for improved standards of secular education in New York’s Jewish ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) schools. While the lack of secular education in Hasidic Yeshivas may seem a niche issue or contained to a small corner of the Jewish community, that is not the case. The Hasidic community is the fastest growing

There are currently tens of thousands of young men in New York who will graduate from yeshiva with barely any English skills and no foreseeable route to continue their education. Not long ago, Chaim Wigder was one of these young men. Fortunately, Chaim was able to overcome the enormous odds against him and earn a

Not long ago, Adelle Goldenberg was a teenager growing up in a Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn with a clear-cut future laid out before her. Like her classmates, she was expected to finish high school, get married, and raise a large Jewish family. Instead, Adelle is now poised to graduate from Harvard University. Recently,

“Why don’t they just switch schools?”  This is a question that we often hear in response to the stories of parents or yeshiva graduates who have experienced educational neglect in Hasidic yeshivas.  For people outside of the Hasidic world, switching schools may seem like the most logical choice. In fact, many non-Orthodox Jews have a

As the election season in New York City gets underway, candidates often seek to stand out of the crowd through policy positions that, they hope, important constituencies will find appealing. One such example are candidates looking to win votes in Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox communities, who in the name of “religious freedom” have pledged not to