SHUL CHOICE:

School of hard knocks: Should Jewish education only be available for rich kids? (George D. Hanus, November 9, 2003. Jewsweek)

It is in the entire Jewish community's self interest to have the next generation of Jewish children literate in our heritage, history, and understanding of Torah values. Statistics have conclusively illustrated that children of intermarried and assimilated families do not support Jewish institutional life. Lack of adequate Jewish education funding is becoming a spiritual euthanasia. If existing philanthropies will not or cannot re-direct funds to help our own children, then new options must be sought and pursued.

In an attempt to solve this extraordinary funding crisis, a movement is fomenting across North America. The idea is simple and direct. Establish locally controlled and managed Superfunds for Jewish Education and Continuity (SJEC) that would raise money to provide scholarship funds for all students in that community. The raised money would be distributed in only one of two avenues.

1. The scholarship money would be distributed on a pro rata basis to all of the day schools in the local area, based on their respective enrollment in kindergarten through 12th grade, or in the alternative.

2. The donor can designate a particular school or schools. The donor's request would always be honored and would take precedence over the first option.

As an added encouragement for people to give, each Superfund (SJEC) would have an affiliated Ben Gamla Society of donors who would match every donation with an additional 10% incentive gift. The goal is very simple. Every Jewish child should be able to attend a high quality day school that has an affordable tuition, irrespective of the family's stream of religious affiliation or financial resources.

The great lesson of the Home Schooling movement is that people can take back control of their children's educations. But it does require money. One obvious way to aid such movements is to voucherize education in America and that's one more good reason for Jews to vote Republican.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 9, 2003 12:24 PM