Theatre of the Absurd - The War Over Jewish Education

There is a war raging in the usually quiet south Florida community that I live in. A war over education and it has Jews facing off against Jews.

A new charter school is opening this academic year in our neck of the woods, the Ben Gamla Charter School, touted as being the first Hebrew language charter school in the United States. Since then the controversy over the school’s opening has risen to a boiling point, with the quest to keep Ben Gamla’s doors shut mostly led by members of the Jewish community itself.

What I find completely flabbergasting, is that for all the accusations of possible Church vs. State infractions flying around, you would think that Ben Gamla was the first of its kind to ever appear in this country.

It’s not. A few quick examples…

Most recently, The Jerusalem Post published its ongoing installment of “The Road to the White House” series. In it, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico pointed out that his state has a public school opening under the auspices of a Catholic church. Is the Christian community up in arms over that school? I would hazard a guess they are not.

I also just saw a piece on morning TV about a new town being built in western Florida called “Ave Maria.” Literally, built around a cathedral-like chapel as it’s centerpiece. Like medieval times. The report even included how suggestions were being made to pharmacy owners to refrain from selling birth control, so as not to offend the community.

Aside from a Catholic university being built in Ave Maria, other schooling was not mentioned. A bit more research revealed that private religious grade school education was going to be available in the town and public schools are also being planned. The TV piece showed pictures of happy families unpacking and sound bites from mothers saying how happy they were to have nice Christian neighbors and the great possibility of a good catholic education for their children. Ya think those public schools will be 100% secular? Give me a break!

For the record, the ACLU is already all over this one (as well as on top of Ben Gamla).

Now, the Ben Gamla people swear up and down that there will be no religion infused into their curriculum. I believe them.

But I suppose the real question is, even if there was some religious content, in this day and age, with the massive failings of the public school system in the U.S., would it be so horrible to add some spiritual values? Even if there was a sliver of religious tinting, who cares? Would it really be so bad?

Florida schools are notoriously lacking in quality education. I can’t help wonder why any caring Jewish person would deny kids a chance to get some Hebrew/Jewish cultural education and potentially raise the standard of public school education?

With examples of other religious communities setting up or backing “cultural” charter schools without much fuss, why can’t the Jewish community back one as well?

The whole situation saddens and sickens me. What does this say about us, the Jewish community? That there are those of us who would deny any snippet of Jewish education to children who can’t afford the full blown day school route?

I have publicly stated that I support a solution for the problem of Universal Jewish Education. Without one in the offing, Ben Gamla is the only game in town.

What strikes me as the obvious question is why the Jewish Federation and others are wasting so much time trying to bring down Ben Gamla when they should be using its presence as the catalyst to focus efforts towards creating a solution. THIS should be their golden opportunity. Solve the day school dilemma and finally give us a REAL affordable option. You can bet that many of those Ben Gamla parents would be interested. Many do want the religious component, they just can’t afford it.

But no, instead community leaders have been plastered all over the local media, doing their best to stop Ben Gamla.

The Broward County school board has given what is hopefully the final OK for the school to proceed with the coming school year. Under watchful, regular monitoring, of course.

So guys, give it a rest. It appears that the school WILL exist and might even be successful. If your vision of day school education means anything to you at all, get moving towards a solution before the Jewish elite are the only ones stepping through the doors of your schools! You might get your business back.

I consulted with my rabbi. He informed me that while in his former Wisconsin pulpit, he was regularly sought after to teach bible classes in the public school system. And that one of the most successful public schools in his district was a public school, segregated on purpose, run by Baptist educators. No one complained because amidst the other horrendous failing public schools, this school exuded pride and quality education.

Rabbi Goldenholz summed it up better then I ever could.

“It is an oddity to have the Jewish community trying to convince the non-Jewish community that they are being too lenient with the Jews. It is a theatre of the absurd,” he said.

My husband says that should give this subject a rest before I get an ulcer. But I am drawn back to this “theatre of the absurd” over and over, trying to make sense of it and waiting for the final, happier last scene in the play.