Four yeshivos in Brooklyn have filed a complaint with the US Department of Education, accusing New York State of discrimination.
The complaint was submitted by Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion, Oholei Torah (Lubavitch), United Talmudical Academy (Satmar), and Yeshiva & Mesivta Arugas Habosem, who allege that both the New York State Education Department and the New York City Department of Education have engaged in “targeted and discriminatory treatment.”
The yeshivos claim that state authorities are refusing to recognize Jewish studies as part of the curriculum, imposing a government-approved reading list, interfering with faculty hiring, disregarding the yeshivas’ “gender profile” in classroom settings, and prohibiting the use of foreign languages in teaching. Languages such as Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic are commonly used in these institutions.
“Taken together, these discriminatory practices would strip the Yeshivas of their essential Jewish character,” the complaint states, which was shared with The Times of Israel. “Only the federal government can ensure that the Yeshivas can pursue their missions free from interference.”
The complaint urges the civil rights office to investigate the New York state and city agencies for these “discriminatory practices,” citing federal anti-discrimination laws that protect “religious observers against unequal treatment.” The complaint also references federal regulations that guarantee parents’ rights to direct their children’s education, asserting that the yeshivas are protected under federal Title VI civil rights protections.
The issue surrounding education in New York yeshivas gained significant attention in 2022, when The New York Times published investigative reports claiming that although the schools received public funding, they did not meet the required standards for teaching secular subjects. During this period, New York State introduced a new law that regulates secular education in non-public schools.
While the debate has quieted, the curriculum reviews mandated by the 2022 law must be finalized by the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.
Critics argue that yeshivas fail to provide sufficient education in secular subjects, such as English and math, leaving students ill-prepared for the workforce or integration into broader society.
Supporters of the yeshivos maintain that these schools play a vital role in fostering successful communities, that their students are well-educated and spend more time in class than those in public schools, and that government interference infringes upon religious freedoms.
{Matzav.com}