A few more comments. Other than the ones I posted, the other >1000 are critical of Hasidic community.
Cecelia
NY 51m ago
The NYT is reporting back to back articles singling out the Hasidic community - first the polio outbreak and now the corruption in the yeshivas. There are definitely issues that need to be addressed within this community but I am concerned about the increase in hate crimes that will likely follow these publications.
Joe H
New Jersey54m ago
Why is this the Hasidic community's fault? Why does the government continue to fund these schools without any oversight or accountability on how those funds are spent?
If this is how they choose to educate their children, that's their business. The government isn't obligated to fund anything that doesn't comply with minimum standards that they are free to set.
Where's the expose on the government officials that are asleep at the wheel here? Instead, this is a slander piece designed to provoke anger at a Jewish community. Typical NYTimes "journalism".
Joe
New York City 56m ago
Continued: The reason why Hasidic communities have a high percentage under the federal poverty level is because we have lots of kids, which is part of our tradition. Not because we don't make money.
If you think we shouldn't have lots of kids if we're not making six digits, and if we do, we shouldn't get public assistance, you are a bigot, quite frankly. You would not say that about any other minority, or group which has many children.
JB
CA 58m ago
This article focuses on “Hasidic” schools, however, these issues exist at Lithuanian/“Yeshivish”/non-Chasidic schools well. Both groups are HAREDI, ultra-Orthodox (black-hat), and are often indistinguishable to outsiders. Investigators should look into the non-Chasidic Haredi schools as well.
Kasha
NY 58m ago
Sadly yet another instance of anti-semitism by the mainstream media. Many I know say the Hasidic community is essentially to keeping schools and neighborhoods flourishing as they place huge importance on education.
Isac
Monroe, NY 1h ago
This report is misleading, more an opinion than fact.
Mo
DC 1h ago
I went to a Hassidic elementary school & later went to an ivy league law school. This article discusses real and troubling phenomena (such as illiterate English teachers, or extremist members of the community whose children don't speak English). But the overwhelming tone of the article is biased and glosses over the benefits of an alternative education system. If I had a time machine and could change things I would still have gone to my Hassidic alma matter.
As someone who has a foot in the Hassidic world- the 100% failure rate of the state education tests seems to indicate that the schools administered the tests wrongly or just told students to just fill out the answer sections without reading the tests in a cynical ploy to get state funds without properly administering the tests. I took those tests in elementary school and - while many of my classmates failed miserably - my reading was consistently graded on a college level. (iykyk that) A school like Bobov is likely to have some less extremist ("heimish") children in the school whose parents will supplement their English education with tutoring (by the parent or tutor - much like my own experience in a Hassidic yeshiva). All this points to a lack of cultural nuance in interpreting the data cited in this article.
I find the hasidiphobia and covert (and overt) antisemitism in the comments indicative of the biases and outright hatred of those involved in this campaign.
