Press Releases

Private Meeting of Mayor Adams and Heads of Hasidic and Haredi Yeshivas Is “Unethical, Problematic and Unprofessional” – YAFFED

June 8, 2023 (New York, NY) – With numerous Hasidic and Haredi New York City Yeshivas under investigation for their failure to teach the rudiments of secular education, as mandated under New York State Education Law 3204, Mayor Eric Adams accepted a plaque for his support of Yeshiva Education – and pledged his loyalty and support of these schools. The meeting took place last night in the private home of Rabbi Moshe Wolfson, a prominent Brooklyn rabbi, in the presence of dozens of Yeshiva leaders and rabbis.

In handing him the award, Mayor Adams was praised for his “unwavering support” of Yeshiva education.

“With the welfare of tens of thousands of Hasidic and Haredi schoolchildren at stake, the fact that the mayor of New York City is openly pandering to a community that has largely proven itself hostile to education is as mind-boggling as it is unethical, problematic and unprofessional,” stated Beatrice Weber, executive director of YAFFED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education in New York’s Hasidic and Haredi schools.

The results of the investigation ordered by Betty Rosa, NYS Commissioner of Education, are due at the end of this month and implementation of the regulations for non-public schools, voted on last September, will begin in the fall. “It is premature, to say the least, for the mayor to offer words of praise and support for schools with such an egregious track record,” added Weber.

For additional information about Yaffed or to request an interview with Beatrice Weber, contact Shira Dicker at s.dicker@yaffed.org or 917.403.3989.

Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within Hasidic and Haredi communities and is committed to improving secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools. Please visit www.yaffed.org

Hasidic Children are the Real Victims of Rampant Fraud

In Kiryas Joel Yeshivas/Local School Board, Says Yaffed

Latest NYT Article Details Stunning Degree of Corruption

District Superintendent Claims Allegations Cause Antisemitism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Shira Dicker

s.dicker@yaffed.org  917.403.3989

February 21, 2023 (New York, NY) – When Hasidic Yeshivas collude with their local school board to misuse funds, Hasidic children are being victimized, states Yaffed, the New York-based nonprofit whose mission is to improve education in area Hasidic schools. 

The New York Times yesterday  reported on  Kiryas Joel, the Satmar village in Orange County, NY in a new article (hyperlink)  “How Public Money Goes to Support a Hasidic Village’s Private Schools.” This well-researched and documented article details how the Kiryas Joel Village Union Free School District funneled millions of dollars to the community’s network of private schools. 

Since its inception, Yaffed has been aware of this pattern of abuse. The painstaking investigative work by the NYT provides the necessary paper trail to address the multiple instances where it occurs in Kiryas Joel. “Since the schools fail spectacularly in secular education, leading their students to future impoverishment, the leaders of Kiryas Joel basically get paid to make their students poor. They become rich because they keep their community poor,” stated Beatrice Weber, executive director of Yaffed. “Tens of thousands of Hasidic kids are victims of this theft.”

“What is taking place is brazen in its criminality,” added Barbra Rothschild, Yaffed’s board chair. “Family members of the Kiryas Joel School Board are paid greatly inflated salaries while the real crime is that students in the Hasidic Yeshivas in the Kiryas Joel school district are not receiving an education. 

Despite a century-old state law mandating the teaching of English, Science, Math and Social Studies in non-public schools, many children in New York’s Hasidic Yeshivas are being deprived of the rudiments of secular education.

“In essence the adults, entrusted with the well-being of the community’s children, are committing theft against them,” said Beatrice Weber, executive director of Yaffed. “They are lining their own pockets. They are misdirecting funds to friends and family members – specifically those on the local school board. Not only is this stunning in its immorality, it goes against one of the core tenets of Judaism which is to provide for the next generation, which begins with providing the best possible education for them.”

The shocking nature of some instances of corruption detailed in the article is matched by a statement made by Kiryas Joel School District  superintendent, Joel Petlin. Dismissing claims of corruption, Petlin calls the findings a “false narrative” that leads to “cynicism, animus and violence towards the Jewish community.” 

To state that antisemitism is the issue here in the face of these revelations of corruption is a highly cynical and dangerous strategy. Yaffed calls upon leaders of the Jewish community, chief among them, the Anti-Defamation League, to reject the claim that anyone who uncovers wrongdoing in the Jewish community is guilty of fomenting Jew-hatred. 

For further information about Yaffed or to request an interview with Beatrice Weber, please contact Shira Dicker at s.dicker@yaffed.org or 917.403.3989. 

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Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within Hasidic and Haredi communities and is committed to improving secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools. Please visit www.yaffed.org

Yaffed Slams NYC Leadership for its Failure to Advocate for Hasidic Children

Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks are united in their conviction that politics matter more than the education of over 50,000 Jewish kids, says Beatrice Weber, Yaffed Exec.

CONTACT: Shira Dicker

917.403.3989 s.dicker@yaffed.org

February 8, 2023 (New York, NY) – The interests of Hasidic children in New York were once again ignored by the testimony of New York City Education Chancellor David C. Banks today in Albany at the Joint New York State Budget Hearing for Elementary and Secondary Education on the Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget Proposal. 

“Today, Chancellor Banks showed once again that when it comes to children receiving a basic, sound education, politics matters more than people,” stated Beatrice Weber, Executive Director of Yaffed, a nonprofit that advocates for improved education in the Hasidic Yeshivas of New York. 

With half of NYC’s public school funding at stake if the state decides that the city isn’t fulfilling its regulatory responsibilities, one would think that NYC Mayor Eric Adams might at least go through the motions of showing that he cares, said Ms. Weber, who added that she was deeply disappointed last month when Mayor Adams announced deep cuts to the FY2024 budget that indicated that the city would lack the personnel necessary to oversee a proper review of failing Yeshivas. 

“Today, the education chancellor similarly ignored the massive mandate placed upon his department by the state to initiate school reviews of scores of schools in the city that are woefully out of compliance with state law. When asked directly about how his team will do more oversight work with a decreased team, he offered an unsatisfactory answer. The 50K-plus students attending Hasidic institutions deserve respect and attention. Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks are united in their conviction that politics matter more than the education of over 50,000 Jewish kids. We are angered and disappointed,” she said.

Attached, please find a copy of the testimony delivered today (2/8/2023) by Yaffed at the NYS Budget Hearing in Albany. 

For further information about Yaffed or to arrange an interview with Yaffed executive director Beatrice Weber contact Shira Dicker at 917.403.3989 or s.dicker@yaffed.org.

IN A STUNNING VICTORY FOR HASIDIC CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE, NY STATE ED DEPT ORDERS NYC TO COMPLETE ITS LONG-OVERDUE INVESTIGATION OF FAILING HASIDIC YESHIVAS

Commissioner Betty Rosa Issues a Stinging Rebuke to the City Dept of Ed, Providing a Six-Month Deadline for the Conclusion of a 7-Year-Old Investigation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Shira Dicker

s.dicker@yaffed.org; 917.403.3989

January 23, 2022 (New York, NY) – A major victory for Hasidic children in New York has been achieved, thanks to the efforts of Yaffed and New York State Education Department (NYSED) Commissioner Betty Rosa.

In August of 2022, on the heels of the landmark case of Weber vs NYSED, Yaffed filed a formal complaint against the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), directed to Betty Rosa. The petition requested that the city’s department of education turn over any and all reports and remediation plans stemming from its 2015 investigation into Yeshivas suspected of educational neglect.  Alternatively, the petition requested, the city could complete its outstanding investigation within thirty days and provide all subsequent reports and remediation plans.

The Fight for Secular Education at New York Yeshiva Schools – Intelligencer New York State hasn’t been ensuring children at private religious schools, and particularly yeshiva schools, receive the minimally adequate secular education required by law. A new court order … nymag.com

Months passed since the filing of that formal complaint known as a 310 Petition after the section of education law under which the filing is made. 

On January 10th, Commissioner Betty Rosa issued orders making factual findings that include NYCDOE’s political motivation* for slow-walking the investigation and that NYCDOE repeatedly ignored NYSED’s requests to complete the investigation. Additionally, she demanded that NYCDOE finish its investigation no later than June 30, 2023, and specified that NYCDOE must produce a separate report for each school under investigation in accordance with NYSED’s recently approved regulations.

“Commissioner Rosa’s decision makes the prospect of educational justice possible for the tens of thousands of  Yeshiva students in New York State who are being denied the rudiments of a secular education,” stated Beatrice Weber, executive director of Yaffed. 

Nearly seven years ago, on July 27, 2015, the original complaint was filed on behalf of fifty-two signatories to the NYC DOE regarding the failure of several dozen NYC yeshivas to provide education that is “at least substantially equivalent” to that provided in the city’s public school students, as is required by New York State law (EDN § 3204).

At that time, an investigation of the yeshivas was ordered by NYC’s DOE, a process that dragged on for years even though the DOE concluded in 2019 that 26 out of the 28 Yeshivas they investigated failed to meet the minimum “substantial equivalency” standards.

Since that time, the progress of the investigation has been stalemated, owing to a multiplicity of factors, which Commissioner Rosa enumerated in her order. 

Under Mayoral control, the NYCDOE reports directly to City Hall and has taken its orders first from the de Blasio and now the Adams’ administrations, allowing calculated missteps and negligent oversight to hamstring the investigation for seven years.  Instead of providing robust government oversight, City officials have hidden behind excuses such as an inability to engage with Yeshivas because the NYCDOE lacks Yiddish speaking personnel and an inability to inspect the facilities because City officials could not extract an invitation from Yeshiva leaders to gain access.

“That NYSED feels compelled to step in and issue NYCDOE a deadline is illustrative of NYSED’s exasperation with its city counterpart,” stated Christopher Hazen, Yaffed’s attorney, who prepared the 310 Petition. “The state’s exasperation is dwarfed only by the frustration experienced by parents who want their children to receive the sound basic education guaranteed to them under New York’s constitution and state law.”

For further information about Yaffed’s petition against the New York City Department of Education and its advocacy work on behalf of students in Hasidic yeshivas in New York State, contact Shira Dicker at s.dicker@yaffed.org or 917.403.3989.

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Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within Hasidic and Haredi communities and is committed to improving secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools. Please visit www.yaffed.org for further information.

Home – Yaffed Fighting For The Education​ of Hasidic ChildrenJoin UsThe Right To Learn ScholarshipAre you a former or current New York ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva student passionate about pursuing a college degree? This scholarship can help.Learn more and apply hereYaffed’s Latest ReportUneducated: Substantial Equivalency and Hasidic Yeshivas.Learn More Previous Next Fighting For The Education Of Haredi Children Learn More … Home Read More » www.yaffed.org

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*Relevant quotes from Commissioner Rosa’s Determination, regarding the allegation of political motivations for stonewalling the investigation of the city’s failing Hasidic Yeshivas: 

WHEREAS allegations were made that the progress of such investigation, the substance of its conclusions, and the timing of the interim report on such investigations were all influenced by political pressure from the former Mayor of the City of New York or other City or State elected officials.

Whereas as a result of allegations that the investigation was subject to political interference, the New York City Department of Investigation and the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District initiated a joint investigation into NYC DOEs inquiry into the education provided at the yeshivas, which was completed in December 2018

Whereas such joint investigation in part “concluded that where was unquestionably political horse-trading in which the representatives of the Mayor agreed with Representatives of State Legislators to delay any interim report in connection with securing the overarching goal of extending mayoral control of the city’s schools”

Statement from Yaffed Regarding Mayor Adams’ 2024 Preliminary Budget

And the Alarmingly Inadequate Allocation for the NYCDOE Office of Nonpublic Schools

January 13, 2023. (New York, NY) – Yesterday’s release of NYC Mayor Adams’ FY2024 Preliminary Budget demonstrates the mayor’s lack of commitment to the issue of substantial equivalency at nonpublic schools and in particular the Hasidic Yeshivas that continue to disregard New York State’s education law by refusing to teach math, science, and other basic elements of a secular education. The proposed $134,424 funding decrease to the Office of Nonpublic Schools will render the office critically understaffed.  YAFFED demands that the mayor release a detailed plan for implementation of the Regents’ newly enacted substantial equivalency regulations and correct its error in judgment in understaffing the very office tasked with the regulations’ implementation. 

There are over fifty thousand students attending an estimated 105 Yeshivas that are disregarding state law.  Yet the Department of Education’s Office of Nonpublic Schools has a staffing allocation for three administrative staff and two pedagogical staff.  This low staff appropriation has remained consistent since the beginning of the de Blasio administration.  Yet today, even with this structural deficit, Mayor Adams proposes further reducing the staffing allocation for pedagogical staff from $178,955 to $44,531.  Such a reduction begs the question: Who will be left to conduct school reviews and evaluate schools’ teaching capacity?

Beatrice Weber, executive director of Yaffed, had this to say: “The evidence is clear and the numbers don’t lie.  Mayor Adams is shortchanging Jewish children by continuing to ignore the pervasive problem of educational neglect in the Hasidic community.  Mr. Mayor, defunding your own regulatory agency won’t make the problem go away.   It is time you stopped pretending that it is okay for children to be prevented from learning math and English. Hasidic and Haredi children deserve the same chance at opportunity as the rest of New York City.”  

For further information about Yaffed visit www.yaffed.org or contact Shira Dicker at s.dicker@yaffed.org or 917.403.3989.

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Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within Hasidic and Haredi communities and is committed to improving secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools. Please visit www.yaffed.org.

FIGHTING “MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF FRAUD” 

THE NECESSITY OF OVERSIGHT IN HASIDIC YESHIVAS A STATEMENT FROM YAFFED 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Shira Dicker 

917.403.3989 s.dicker@yaffed.org 

October 24, 2002 (New York, NY) – Today’s news that the largest  Hasidic boys Yeshiva in Brooklyn, the Central United Talmudical  Academy (CUTA), admitted to committing fraud over several years by  illegally funneling millions of dollars away from such services as  technology, federal food programs for school lunches and child care,  should serve as a wake-up call to authorities that oversight is essential in  the effort to fix failing Hasidic schools.  

“What happened at CUTA speaks for itself,” said Beatrice Weber,  executive director of Yaffed, an organization whose mission is to  improve education in New York’s Hasidic schools. “An unregulated  school system is ripe for all kinds of fraud. Government officials in  charge of educating New York’s children need to have a system of  checks and balances to fix Hasidic Yeshivas that are failing to provide a  secular education in a manner that is substantially equivalent to what is  offered in local public schools.” 

Today’s NYT article is the third in the space of six weeks that focuses on  problems endemic to many of New York’s Hasidic Yeshivas. CUTA will  be supervised by an independent monitor for the next three years,  according to the article. “This is precisely what we need for our children  when it comes to ensuring their education,” added Ms.Weber. “With the 

adoption of new education regulations this past September, I look  forward to a system of supervision within schools as a quality control  measure.” 

The enforcement of new education regulations in New York’s non-public  schools has been a hot-button topic for the past several years as the  heads of Hasidic Yeshivas resist efforts to provide thousands of their  students with the basics of a secular education. Yaffed has been on the  forefront of efforts to improve education in these schools and is vocal in  pushing for mechanisms of oversight and accountability.  

For further information about Yaffed’s work or to request an interview  with Beatrice Weber, executive director of Yaffed, please contact Shira  Dicker at s.dicker@yaffed.org or 917.403.3989.  

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Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within  Hasidic and Haredi communities and is committed to improving secular  education in Hasidic and Haredi schools. Please visit www.yaffed.org.

In the middle of the Jewish festival of Sukkot, Yaffed —a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools — had a new reason to celebrate: a historic ruling by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in the groundbreaking case of Weber v. NYSED.

Since its founding in 2012, Yaffed has been working to improve secular education in New York and beyond for Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox children and to ensure that city and state officials enforce a decades-old NYS education law — Section 3204 — which mandates that children who attend non-public schools receive education in a manner that is “at least substantially equivalent” to that of local public schools.

In 2019, Beatrice Weber, a mother of ten children raised and educated within the New York Hasidic community, and Yaffed’s newly appointed executive director, brought a lawsuit on behalf of her youngest child, then age six, alleging that the school — Yeshiva Mesivta Arugath Habosem (YMAH) – was failing to teach her son the secular subjects mandated by New York’s education law. Her lawsuit languished for years and was dismissed by NYSED, with the agency claiming that it did not have “jurisdiction” over the Yeshiva. Ms. Weber appealed and in June of this year Acting Supreme Court Justice Adam Silverman issued an historic opinion annulling
NYSED ’s dismissal and ordering it to complete its investigation of the Yeshiva by October 6, 2022.

Following the court’s order, last week, NYSED issued a “determination,” concluding that YMAH was not complying with the law’s substantial equivalency mandate. The ruling is the first time in New York State history that an agency has ordered change at a Hasidic boys’ Yeshiva. Specifically, NYSED found “that there was little evidence that instruction in such areas (math, science, English language arts and social studies) was regularly and meaningfully delivered to students.” In its ruling, NYSED also strongly rebuked the NY CDOE for its investigative techniques. Implied was a criticism of NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who has provided cover for failing Hasidic schools. Yaffed is committed to making sure that NYSED’s determination in Weber v. SED will have a broad impact, leading the way for other failing schools to improve their substandard quality of education.

“I could not have achieved this success without the support of Yaffed, and the vision and passion of its founder Naftuli Moster,” Ms. Weber stated. “Yaffed connected me with David Shapiro, who served as legal counsel for my lawsuit. David and Yaffed were invaluable, providing us with ongoing support and resources.”

Ms. Weber’s attorney, David Shapiro, stated that NYSED’s determination was remarkable for many reasons.

“Aside from being the first of its kind in New York State,” he said, “like all historic decisions in the Civil Rights movement (think Brown v. Board of Education), it tells a story that is not written in the pages of the decision. Everyone failed Beatrice: the school, the politicians and the agencies. It took an independent Supreme Court Justice to order action.”

For further information about this story or to request an interview with Ms. Weber or Mr. Shapiro please contact Shira Dicker at shira.dicker@sd-media.com or at +1.917.403.3989 (until 10/13/22) and 917.403.3989 thereafter.

ABOUT YAFFED

Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within Hasidic and Haredi
communities and is committed to improving secular education within these schools. Visit
https://yaffed.org/ for more information.

September 20, 2022 (New York, NY) – The Board of Directors of Yaffed is pleased to announce the appointment of Beatrice Weber as our incoming executive director, effective October 3rd. Ms. Weber succeeds Yaffed’s founder Naftuli Moster who served in this role since 2012. Mr. Moster is leaving to pursue other endeavors.

News of Mr. Moster’s impending departure was made public in June, at which time the board undertook a rigorous search for a capable leader to usher Yaffed into its second decade. After reviewing many candidates, it turned out the leader they were looking for was already in their midst, working as a parent ambassador, writing, speaking and advocating for the rights of Hasidic children.

Beatrice Weber holds an MBA from Wayne State College. She has over 15 years of leadership experience at multiple organizations, most recently at the Ronald McDonald House in New York, where she focused on improving Health Equity for children and their families in New York City. 

Ms. Weber was raised in the ultra-Orthodox community in Toronto and lived in Jerusalem and Monsey as the wife of a Hasidic rabbi. She is a graduate of Leadership Rockland and an Interspiritual Minister at OneSpirit. The mother of ten children – all of whom attended or are currently attending Hasidic Yeshivas, she is the first (and only) parent of a child in a Hasidic Yeshiva in NYC to file a lawsuit against the Yeshiva, NYC and New York State for not providing her son with an education. 

“Naftuli Moster poured every ounce of his passion into Yaffed, bringing the issue of systematic education neglect in the Hasidic community into the public square. He is the very model of an activist,” said Anita Altman, Yaffed’s Board President “As he leaves Yaffed, we could not hope for a more brilliant, capable and charismatic new leader than Beatrice Weber. Her fearlessness, especially, is a key asset for this job”.

This transition in leadership follows a month filled with significant accomplishments for Yaffed. On September 11th, following two years of painstaking research, the New York Times published a blockbuster investigative article about the education neglect crisis in the Hasidic schools of New York State. Days later, the Board of Regents voted unanimously to adopt new regulations for substantial equivalency in secular education in nonpublic schools. The vote is a huge step towards greater enforcement of much-needed education standards in ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas.

“I am humbled, honored and inspired to step into my new position,” said Ms. Weber. “The coming of the New Jewish year makes this transition especially auspicious. The past week has shown the importance of advocating for justice. And I’ve learned from Naftuli that Tikkun Olam — the Jewish value of working on behalf of social change — begins at home.”

For further information please contact Shira Dicker at s.dicker@yaffed.org or 917.403.3989.

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Yaffed is a nonprofit organization founded by individuals raised within Hasidic and Haredi communities and is committed to improving secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools. Please visit www.yaffed.org.

History is Made: NYS Supreme Court Judge Rules that State Ed. Dept and NYC Dept of Ed.  

Abdicated Their Responsibilities; Orders Agencies to Finish Investigation of Brooklyn Yeshiva

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shira Dicker

shira.dicker@sd-media.com 917.403.3989

June 8, 2022 (New York, NY) – Legal history was made on June 7, 2022, when New York State Supreme Court Justice Adam W. Silverman ruled that the State Education Department (SED) and the New York City Department of Education (DOE) had abdicated their agency responsibilities by failing to investigate the Brooklyn yeshiva Yeshiva Mesivta Arugath Habosem (YMAH) and determining, in a timely manner, whether the yeshiva is complying with the New York Education Law by providing its students with a secular education that is “substantially equivalent” to the education offered at Brooklyn public schools.

In September 2019, Beatrice Weber filed a petition with the SED against the DOE and the yeshiva.  She alleged that YMAH was not providing her then-eight-year-old son with the secular classes mandated by the law, and that the DOE should order the school to do so.

Under the terms of Ms. Weber’s divorce, a Family Court judge ordered that she had to send her child to the yeshiva, her ex-husband’s school of choice.

The SED commissioner dismissed Ms. Weber’s petition two years after it was filed, and she appealed to the Supreme Court in Albany. The SED, DOE and YMAH moved to dismiss. They argued that Ms. Weber didn’t have the right to bring her action and that the Commissioner was right to dismiss her petition. After one year of briefing and oral argument, Justice Silverman denied the motion to dismiss and ordered the agencies to complete their investigation by September 2022.

With this ruling, the court and Ms. Weber made history. The court held, for the first time in New York history, that a parent can sue the state and city agencies, and the yeshiva, arguing lack of adequate secular education, and that the agencies’ inability to complete its investigation required judicial intervention and immediate injunctive relief.  

“Although this case dragged on and my son lost valuable years of learning, I feel greatly vindicated by this ruling and am hopeful that other parents will be inspired by my actions,” said Beatrice Weber.

“Beatrice Weber is a Jewish hero. She took on some of the most powerful entities in New York State, including the NYC Department of Education, the State Education Department and a powerful yeshiva, ” declared David J. Shapiro of Shapiro Litigation Group, Ms. Weber’s lawyer.   “When she came to me, I told her that everyone she had turned to — the yeshiva, the politicians and the agencies — had turned her down.  And that in this city, given the nature of political influence, her only hope was an honest and courageous judge. And she got one.”

“Yaffed is grateful to Beatrice Weber for taking a stand in support of her son’s right to an education, and to David Shapiro for agreeing to represent her pro bono,” stated Naftuli Moster, executive director of Yaffed. “We stand ready to assist other parents and Yeshiva graduates to seek justice for themselves and their children.”

“The court’s ruling should send a clear message to the NYC DOE that it is their responsibility to conclude their investigations into non-compliant yeshivas in a timely fashion. The investigation that began in 2015 must come to an end and its findings must be made public,” he said.

For further information about this story or to request an interview with Mr. Moster, Ms. Weber or Mr. Shapiro please contact Shira Dicker at shira.dicker@sd-media.com or 917.403.3989.

OVER 150 NEW YORK RABBIS AND JEWISH LEADERS SIGN LETTER FOR EDUCATION JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN IN HASIDIC AND HAREDI SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK STATE

Concerned about Rising Illiteracy in Ultra-Orthodox Communities

Missive Supports the Enforcement of New State Education Regulations

For Immediate Release

Contact: Shira Dicker

shira.dicker@sd-media.com  917.403.3989

May 12, 2022 (New York, NY) — Scores of New York American rabbis and Jewish leaders have signed a letter calling on the New York State Education Department to enforce substantial equivalency regulations that would ensure that ultra-Orthodox schoolchildren in New York State receive the secular education to which they are entitled by state and federal law. The text and list of signatories can be found here.  

Rabbis and Jewish leaders representing the broad Jewish denominational spectrum signed the letter which staunchly states – among other things – that speaking out about the education injustice is “an act of love and fellowship, both a moral and religious obligation. Advocating for Haredi children and their futures is more than just another noble cause deserving of widespread recognition and attention; it is sacred work that we must all take part in in fulfillment of our responsibility as Klal Yisrael, members of the Jewish People.”

Included on this list are such luminaries as Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Dr. Judith Plaskow, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, Ruth Messinger, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Rabbi Felicia Sol, Rabbi Roly Matalon, Randi Weingarten, Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Rachel McCullough, Rabbi Avram Mlotek and scores of other prominent leaders, both in the rabbinic and lay community.

This letter is being published during the public comment period for new regulations released mid-March by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The new regulations were introduced in response to complaints from dozens of graduates of ultra-Orthodox yeshivas. The comment period closes at the end of May.

Yaffed, a nonprofit organization committed to improving secular education in Hasidic and Haredi schools, alleges that there are currently tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox school children — primarily boys — who are being deprived of the rudiments of a secular education. Increasingly, the leadership of these Hasidic/Haredi yeshivas promotes the false belief that knowledge of mathematics, science, basic English literacy, history, geography, civics and any study of contemporary culture is antithetical to a pious Jewish life.

To further information about this story or to request an interview, please contact Shira Dicker at shira.dicker@sd-media.com or 917.403.3989.

YAFFED PUSHES FOR SECULAR EDUCATION IN ULTRA-ORTHODOX SCHOOLS

ON NATIONAL ‘EDUCATION AND SHARING DAY’ 

VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE 

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 @12:30 p.m. EST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shira Dicker

shira.dicker@sd-media.com 917.403.3989

April 11, 2022 (New York, NY) —Young Advocates for Fair Education (Yaffed) will host a virtual press conference tomorrow, Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 12:30 p.m. EST to mark national “Education and Sharing Day,” established in 1978 by the United States Congress and dedicated to the memory of the late leader of Chabad, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Since the time of President Jimmy Carter, “Education and Sharing Day” has taken place annually on the 11th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, which is Rabbi Schneerson’s birthday. According to the proclamation from the office of President Joseph Biden: “The Rebbe’s devotion to educating people worldwide and his profound respect for diversity, inclusiveness, and equal justice have set a strong example for generations of Americans and people across the globe.”

Yaffed upholds the noble intentions and aspirations of Education and Sharing Day. Tragically, however,  the majority of boys in Hasidic and Haredi schools – including those founded by the Rebbe – receive little or no secular education. Yaffed maintains that “progress and success” are impossible without the rudiments of a secular education. On the very day dedicated to education and sharing, it is bitterly ironic that tens of thousands of Jewish children are being deprived of basic literacy in English, science, math, history, civics and contemporary culture in violation of current state laws.

Yaffed’s April 12th press conference takes place in the midst of the public comment period for new regulations released last month by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The new regulations were introduced in response to complaints from dozens of graduates of ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas, including Oholei Torah, a Chabad flagship school, which will form the backdrop for Yaffed’s press conference.

To join Yaffed’s press conference, please RSVP here.

Advance RSVP required. 

Speaking at Yaffed’s press conference will be:

Naftuli Moster, founder and executive director of Yaffed

Rabbi Yossi Newfield, Graduate of Yeshiva Oholei Torah

Lazer Introlegator, Former Chabad student

In advance of Education and Sharing Day, Religion News Service (RNS) published an important opinion piece by Moster. You can view it here.

To RSVP for Yaffed’s press conference tomorrow, or for further information on Yaffed’s statement responding to the new NYSED regulations for nonpublic schools contact Shira Dicker at 917.403.3989 or shira.dicker@sd-media.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-8449

Sydney Brown, sydney@anatgerstein.com, (347) 831-1415

Sophie Crumpacker, sophie@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-7128

YAFFED Statement on New York State Education Department’s Decision to Scrap Proposed Substantial Equivalency Regulations

(New York, NY)—Today the New York State Education Department (NYSED) released a report outlining stakeholder feedback on substantial equivalency in New York’s nonpublic schools and announced that the department will release revised regulations in the summer or fall of 2021. This decision will delay the implementation of regulations that would protect New York’s students until at least 2022. 

New York state law requires that nonpublic schools provide an education that is “substantially equivalent” to that offered by public schools. Regulations would allow the state to enforce this long-existing standard. Lack of enforcement results in thousands of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students missing out on a basic education in topics like English, math, science, and history.  Advocacy organization YAFFED has worked for years to improve secular education in New York’s ultra-Orthodox yeshivas and is a vocal supporter of regulations that would help increase accountability of these schools. 

Naftuli Moster, founder and executive director of YAFFED, issued the following statement:

“NYSED has made educational equity a stated priority, but once again, tens of thousands of students are left out of that promise in the interest of giving undue consideration to nonpublic schools, some of which demonstrably fail to provide their students with a proper education.

As NYSED scraps previously proposed regulations and once again delays action to enforce substantial equivalency, these students will begin the 2021-2022 school year without any guarantee that they will learn the basics of math, language arts, science, and social studies. There is no plan to support them or their educational rights in the interim, despite long-standing evidence that they are victims of educational neglect. 

While my peers and I are incredibly disappointed in this outcome, we are grateful to those Regents who are vocal advocates for making sure that all New York students become part of an informed and educated citizenry. We look forward to working with the NYSED and Board of Regents to ensure that this new proposed timeline is the final delay to enforcing substantial equivalency.”

About Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED):  YAFFED is an advocacy group committed to improving educational curricula within ultra-Orthodox schools. We fervently believe that every child is entitled to a fair and equitable education that is in compliance with the law. Our work involves raising awareness about the importance of general studies education, and encouraging elected officials, Department of Education officials and the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox world to act responsibly in preparing their youth for economic sufficiency and for broad access to the resources of the modern world.

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—No concrete action taken by the City or State since YAFFED filed a formal complaint in 2015—

(New York, NY)—Today Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED), an advocacy group committed to improving education in ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic yeshivas, issued a report on the ongoing educational neglect in many of these schools, and the consistent delays to oversight and reform at both the city and state level.

In 2015, YAFFED filed a formal complaint with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) on behalf of former yeshiva students and parents. The complaint named ultra-Orthodox schools in NYC that do not provide an adequate secular education in topics like English, science, and math. This is a violation of New York state law, which mandates that every student attending nonpublic schools receive an education that is at least substantially equivalent to that of public schools.

The subsequent investigation, which was subject to delay and political horse-trading by City Hall, found that 26 of 28 schools investigated did not meet the substantial equivalency standard. 

Nearly six years after YAFFED filed its complaint, the City and State have not taken any definitive action to address the issue and improve education in these schools. Proposed regulations to enforce substantial equivalency have languished under consideration by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Board of Regents, a process that initially began in December 2017. 

“Earlier this month, The Board of Regents met, and once again, the regulations were not even discussed and educational neglect is allowed to continue. To be perfectly clear, inaction is not neutral—it maintains the status quo, depriving more than 60,000 New York students of an education,” said Naftuli Moster, Founder and Executive Director of YAFFED.

“As the 2020-21 school year draws to a close, we are more or less exactly where we started back in 2015. There is no excuse for this delay. The evidence is clear and action needs to be taken immediately, ” Moster continued.

“Every child in New York, regardless of their religion, has a right to a secular education that provides them with the basics needed for a successful future. This can go hand-in-hand with religious studies, as is the case in many Orthodox Jewish Day Schools and Catholic schools across the state. Despite years of evidence and advocacy, students in New York’s ultra-Orthodox Hasidic yeshivas have been left behind by education officials, negatively impacting their futures and the future of our state,” said Rabbi Elchanan Weinbach.

“A well-rounded education doesn’t undermine one’s religious freedom, it enhances it,” said Rabbi Ysoscher Katz. 

The full report, which outlines years and delay and obstruction, can be accessed here. 

About Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED): 

YAFFED is an advocacy group committed to improving educational curricula within ultra-Orthodox schools. We fervently believe that every child is entitled to a fair and equitable education that is in compliance with the law. Our work involves raising awareness about the importance of general studies education, and encouraging elected officials, Department of Education officials and the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox world to act responsibly in preparing their youth for economic sufficiency and for broad access to the resources of the modern world.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-8449
Sophie Crumpacker, sophie@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-7128
Sydney Brown, sydney@anatgerstein.com, (347) 831-1415

YAFFED Statement on Chancellor Carranza Departure from New York City Department of Education 

(New York, NY)— Naftuli Moster, Executive Director of YAFFED, issued the following statement in response to the news that the current Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) would vacate the post on March 15:

“We look forward to working with incoming Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter to improve secular education within ultra-Orthodox yeshivas—an issue that her predecessor was unable to advance despite ample time and evidence of mass educational neglect. We are hopeful that, under her leadership, the Department of Education will be able to maintain the independence it needs to realize actual reforms, free of interference from this or any future Mayoral administration. The crisis within many ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic yeshivas is urgent, and we stand ready to partner with the Chancellor to improve the lives of tens of thousands of students in these schools.”

About Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED):
YAFFED is an advocacy group committed to improving educational curricula within ultra-Orthodox schools. We fervently believe that every child is entitled to a fair and equitable education that is in compliance with the law. Our work involves raising awareness about the importance of general studies education, and encouraging elected officials, Department of Education officials and the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox world to act responsibly in preparing their youth for economic sufficiency and for broad access to the resources of the modern world.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-8449
Sydney Brown, sydney@anatgerstein.com, (347) 831-1415
Sophie Crumpacker, sophie@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-7128

Rabbis & Jewish Communal Leaders to Candidates for NYC Office: Do Not Permit Educational Neglect In Our Name

One Hundred Rabbis and Leaders from the Jewish Community Send Letter to Candidates, Urge Them to Resist Argument that Secular Education Infringes on “Religious Freedom”  

(New York, NY)— Today, one hundred Jewish leaders and rabbis published a letter calling on candidates who are running for New York City public office in 2021 to support the rights of students to receive a basic education, regardless of the type of school they attend. The letter makes clear that a basic secular education within ultra-Orthodox yeshivas is not an infringement on the community’s “religious freedom,” as some have argued.

The letter reads, in part:

To state the obvious: Our religion does not require that kids be denied a basic education. Including or expanding time spent on secular education does not detract from a robust curriculum of religious studies. Secular education and Judaic studies can coexist—as can be seen in many Jewish day schools, Modern Orthodox yeshivas, and indeed many ultra-Orthodox girls’ schools.

Despite New York State law requiring nonpublic schools to provide a substantially equivalent education to public schools, the dearth of secular studies within ultra-Orthodox yeshivas is well-documented. In recent weeks, candidates have begun to outline plans for addressing this issue.

“What is happening in many ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas is nothing short of educational neglect. To excuse it in the name of religious freedom is offensive to Jewish and religious people everywhere. We are grateful that many candidates pledged to uphold the law and enforce the standards, and we call on other candidates to do the same,” said Naftuli Moster, Founder and Executive Director of YAFFED. “It is incumbent upon all candidates running for office in 2021 to pledge strong enforcement of the existing laws. Our door is open for those candidates who want to learn more about this issue and hear directly from victims of education neglect.”

The letter, which is still accepting signatures, can be read in full here.

About Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED):
YAFFED is an advocacy group committed to improving educational curricula within ultra-Orthodox schools. We fervently believe that every child is entitled to a fair and equitable education that is in compliance with the law. Our work involves raising awareness about the importance of general studies education, and encouraging elected officials, Department of Education officials and the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox world to act responsibly in preparing their youth for economic sufficiency and for broad access to the resources of the modern world.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-8449
Sydney Brown, sydney@anatgerstein.com, (347) 831-1415
Sophie Crumpacker, sophie@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-7128

YAFFED Statement on Appointment of Dr. Betty A. Rosa as Interim Commissioner of New York State Education Department

(New York, NY) — Naftuli Moster, Founder and Executive Director of Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED), an advocacy organization focused on improving secular education in ultra-Orthodox Hasidic schools, issued the following statement in response to the appointment of Dr. Betty A. Rosa as Interim Commissioner of New York State Education Department (NYSED):

“We congratulate Dr. Rosa on this next step in her career and well-deserved opportunity to lead the NYSED. Dr. Rosa has long been a champion for all students, including those in ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic yeshivas who are still being denied a basic education. It was Dr. Rosa who began the discussion at the state-level to reevaluate and revise regulations in order to enforce substantial equivalency in non-public schools. We look forward to her continued leadership in this new role, and to working together to ensure that all schools are held accountable for providing a fair and equitable education to their students. After years of delay, YAFFED is confident that Dr. Rosa can finally see this process through and ensure that thousands of children do not miss out on yet another year of a fundamental education and an opportunity for successful futures.”

About YAFFED
YAFFED is an advocacy group committed to improving educational curricula within ultra-Orthodox schools. We fervently believe that every child is entitled to a fair and equitable education that is in compliance with the law. Our work involves raising awareness about the importance of general studies education, and encouraging elected officials, Department of Education officials and the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox world to act responsibly in preparing their youth for economic sufficiency and for broad access to the resources of the modern world.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, May 11, 2020
Contact: Press@yaffed.org

Leaked emails reveal backroom deal to go slow on Yeshiva investigations; Mayor and top aides should be held accountable for denying children a basic education

Yaffed Calls on City and State to Enforce Education Laws After Bombshell Report of Stonewalling by New York City

New York, NY – A shocking new report confirms how New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio abused his power by interfering with a Department of Education investigation into allegations that tens of thousands of New York City children were being denied a basic education in Yeshivas. According to the leaked emails contained in the article, Mayor de Blasio was himself involved in offers to Ultra-Orthodox leaders to delay any DOE report on the investigation’s findings and to go “gentle” with the final report, in exchange for the extension of mayoral control in 2017, which was being held hostage by State Senators taking directions from leaders of the Ultra-Orthodox community. The deal to delay the report was apparently made so that Senator Simcha Felder had time to ram through the “Felder Amendment,” which was an attempt to soften the legal requirement that these schools provide a “substantially equivalent” education and to derail the State Education Department’s ability to ensure the right of Yeshiva students to receive one.

As Naftuli Moster, executive director of Young Advocates for Fair Education (Yaffed ) said, “These internal emails confirm how Mayor de Blasio and his top officials abused their power by making a deal with Ultra-Orthodox leaders to interfere and delay the release of the findings of an investigation into the denial of the rights of tens of thousands of New York City children to receive a basic education. With these alarming facts now fully public, we are demanding immediate actions be taken to reverse the corrupt results of these unconscionable acts.

Today, we call on the City of New York and New York State to enforce the law without further delay, and for the Attorney General’s office to launch a probe into the corruption that these emails reveal.”

The organization Yaffed called for the following actions to occur:

1. The Board of Regents should immediately approve the long-delayed “substantial equivalency” regulations, first proposed almost two years ago on July 3, 2019; otherwise, they will be further rewarding and abetting the stonewalling efforts by Ultra-Orthodox leaders and the city.
   
   
2. The New York State Attorney General Letitia James should direct the Public Integrity Bureau of her office to launch an investigation into the actions of  the Mayor and his top aides, to determine whether the various favors made and promised to the Ultra-Orthodox leaders in return for renewing mayoral control were legal.
   
   
3. The New York City Department of Education (DOE) should release publicly all their findings on the education provided by individual Yeshivas and together with the State, develop a plan to enforce “substantial equivalency” as soon as possible, so it can be quickly and efficiently implemented when schools are back in session.
   
   
4. The DOE and SED should ensure that during the coronavirus crisis, all Yeshiva students are receiving adequate secular instruction via remote learning.
   
   
5. Deputy Chancellor Karin Goldmark, who appears to have been responsible for orchestrating this deal to sacrifice the education of tens of thousands of Yeshiva students, should be asked to immediately resign.
   
   
6. The leaders of the State Legislature, Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the respective Chairs of the Education Committees in the State Legislature, Assemblymember Michael Benedetto and Senator Shelley Mayer, should make it a priority to repeal the Felder Amendment, which was passed as a result of this disgraceful deal between the Mayor and Ultra-Orthodox leaders to delay the investigation into the Yeshivas.

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Yaffed Files Preliminary Injunction in Felder Amendment Suit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 28th, 2018

Contact: Naftuli Moster, staff@yaffed.org

(New York, NY) – On Friday, August 24, YAFFED filed a motion in Brooklyn federal court seeking a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of the Felder Amendment during the pendency of the lawsuit. The Amendment stands in the way of YAFFED’s mission and the ultimate goal of improving secular education in ultra-Orthodox Jewish non-public schools. The children of New York’s ultra-Orthodox community deserve enforcement of appropriate standards and not the watered down, ambiguous standard of the Felder Amendment, which effectively ratifies the existing conditions in these schools and allows the City to continue its lax enforcement of State Education Law.  We have asked the court to maintain the statutory status quo ante, which would require local districts and the State to enforce the pre-existing standards.

Yaffed Responds to NYC Chancellor Carranza’s Letter to NYSED Commissioner Elia, Calls for intensified, Speedier Investigation of Yeshivas Accused of Failing to Provide Adequate Secular Instruction to Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20th, 2018

Contact: Naftuli Moster, staff@yaffed.org

(New York, NY) – Today, Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED), a nonprofit committed to improving educational standards and curricula within ultra-Orthodox schools, held a press conference to discuss the letter from Chancellor Richard Carranza to New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia regarding the status of his investigation of some NYC yeshivas.

YAFFED Executive Director Naftuli Moster said “We are pleased that Chancellor Richard Carranza kept his promise to be more transparent than his predecessor. We hope this letter ushers in a new era of transparency and accountability.”

YAFFED called on the Chancellor and the Department of Education to redouble their efforts to ensure that all yeshivas provide their students with an education that is at least “substantially equivalent” to that of public schools.

“The letter confirms YAFFED’s allegations that lack of secular studies is a serious problem for many children in ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic yeshivas. It is a validation of our concerns, even though the investigation was incomplete. Clear evidence that the educational programs are not equivalent was found, even though inspectors were denied entry by many of the yeshivas.”

“There’s only one reason a school would bar the city from entering: they are hiding something. They are hiding because the situation is so bad that even with advance notice, they could not get their act together enough to make a pretense of compliance with the law.”

David Bloomfield, Professor of Education Leadership, Law & Policy Brooklyn College and The CUNY Graduate Center, added:

“The Chancellor’s letter describes a delayed, superficial, and deferential process of mayoral malfeasance and educational malpractice that denies students their basic educational rights in violation of state law.”

Yaffed Files Preliminary Injunction in Felder Amendment Suit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 28th, 2018

Contact: Naftuli Moster, staff@yaffed.org

(New York, NY) – On Friday, August 24, YAFFED filed a motion in Brooklyn federal court seeking a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of the Felder Amendment during the pendency of the lawsuit. The Amendment stands in the way of YAFFED’s mission and the ultimate goal of improving secular education in ultra-Orthodox Jewish non-public schools. The children of New York’s ultra-Orthodox community deserve enforcement of appropriate standards and not the watered down, ambiguous standard of the Felder Amendment, which effectively ratifies the existing conditions in these schools and allows the City to continue its lax enforcement of State Education Law.  We have asked the court to maintain the statutory status quo ante, which would require local districts and the State to enforce the pre-existing standards.