Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not concerned that the Hebrew school will teach religion or that it will proselitize. I'm concerned that it is using a language only attractive to a small religious minority as a pretense for a public charter school.

I don't doubt that the proposal for the Hebrew school is constitutionally sound; that doesn't mean it meets an educational need in DC.

It is against Jewish religious law to proselytize. You should learn something about Judaism before you fear it.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not concerned that the Hebrew school will teach religion or that it will proselitize. I'm concerned that it is using a language only attractive to a small religious minority as a pretense for a public charter school.

I don't doubt that the proposal for the Hebrew school is constitutionally sound; that doesn't mean it meets an educational need in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

It's not exactly what you'd expect to see when you walk into the Hebrew Language Academy (HLA), a public charter school in the largely Jewish neighborhood where Midwood meets Marine Park.

But in each kindergarten classroom, you'll find just that: tables of four children, with both white and black students seated at them.

Zvi Dov Roth Academy in NYC: http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-05-25/news/hebrew-spoken-HLA-hebrew-language-academy/

The black/jewish alliance is as strong as ever when it comes to education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An article in the NY Times says that the Hebrew Language Charter in NYC is very diverse --- "But as the school’s first year draws to a close, its classrooms are filled with a broad range of students, all seeming confident enough to jabber away as if they were elbowing their way down Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. Perhaps surprisingly, the school has become one of the most racially mixed charter schools in the city. About a third of the 150 students are black, and several are Hispanic.
Here is the full article:

Oy. Read the last section about the Nation of Islam father and devout Christian mother. Ironically, both may be disappointed when they realize it's not as rigorous (father) or original text based (mother) as a yeshiva. So what accounts for diversity? It's in Brooklyn not Brookland.

Perhaps I'm cynical from living in DC since before the charter law, but I'm kind of sick of the carpetbagger mentality of some charter schools (BASIS founders said flat out they're here for "visibility and easy charter process) and lots of out of town reformers (Friends of Bedford) and congressional meddlers (vouchers).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Willingness to learn Hebrew could be a front for eagerness to avoid the type of people who would never dream of learning Hebrew -- most blacks

HappyThanksgiving my friend. It struck me that someone sat down and typed out what you did at 8:30 on Thanksgiving Eve.

Anonymous wrote:

Wouldn't classify myself as a supporter. I wouldn't send my child to an immersion school (traditional or STEM oriented is more my speed). I definitely do not think China will be an economic powerhouse when my children are in the business world. China will be old before it will be rich. It has a ticking demographic bomb. Why do you care who it appeals to? Do charter schools have to appeal to everyone?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the controversy here. If you don't want your kids doing hebrew immersion, don't send them. I find this no more controversial than Chinese immersion. Japanese was all the rage in the 80s because every one thought they were going to over take us in business. Now It is China. Who knows maybe it will be Israel next?!

As for religion, Jews don't proselytize. One cannot say that about Islam or Christianity. Have zero problems with it.

OK, you need to read the thread, or at least the first few pages. Even the school's strongest supporters say it will focus on language not religion, so that it can pass constitutional muster.

Although even supporters like you seem to assume it will be "jewish" in character instead of secular "hebrew"....

But beyond that, the debate has not been about whether a jewish school is somehow offensive, or not. Nobody thinks this is offensive on the face of it. Instead, the debate is about whether this school would get past the charter board. Does it fill a need, like Chinese immersion which prepares kids for the 21st century business world? Do you really think Israel is the next Japan or China, or do you worry like me that Hamas is trying to make Arabic the lingua franca there? Or would a Hebrew school transparently cater to Ward 3 parents because its immersion language won't appeal to most hispanics, blacks, non-jewish whites, or to anybody outside Ward 3?

Anonymous wrote:An article in the NY Times says that the Hebrew Language Charter in NYC is very diverse --- "But as the school’s first year draws to a close, its classrooms are filled with a broad range of students, all seeming confident enough to jabber away as if they were elbowing their way down Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. Perhaps surprisingly, the school has become one of the most racially mixed charter schools in the city. About a third of the 150 students are black, and several are Hispanic.
Here is the full article:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the controversy here. If you don't want your kids doing hebrew immersion, don't send them. I find this no more controversial than Chinese immersion. Japanese was all the rage in the 80s because every one thought they were going to over take us in business. Now It is China. Who knows maybe it will be Israel next?!

As for religion, Jews don't proselytize. One cannot say that about Islam or Christianity. Have zero problems with it.

Anonymous wrote:Can't you really not hear what you're saying? The "smart jewish kids" tag actually confirms that several posters, with divergent reactions to the school, think a school that teaches Hebrew will inevitably have a majority jewish student body. Even if, as they also argue, it might manage to attract a few christians who can't afford Sidwell and the occasional black kid who is willing to do the 1-hour-each-way commute from Anacostia to NW. None of you, pro or con, is arguing that the jewish kids will be swamped by the non-jewish kids. In fact, you're using the expecting jewish majority as a selling point.

How do you think that creating a school for a certain religion will fly with the charter board? Really?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many DC charters are not diverse right now -- they are majority or total AA.

I do believe the the Hebrew school would be attractive to non-jewish parents who will put up with a little hebrew to have their kids taught along side smart jewish kids. Like a little inside joke.

The hebrew itself is not very valuable to practicing jews, except at bar mitzvah time. Taxpayers should pay for this?

The whole concept seems contrived.

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