A Response to Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin
by Yair Hoffman
It was an article written by a Reform Rabbi, ostensibly about the Ramapo school district and education. And, of course, it was not at all anti-Semitic. No, not at all.
Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin began his article http://jeffreysalkin.religionnews.com/2015/06/09/ultra-orthodox-jews-should-play-better-with-others/ like this:
“This is not about Rabbi Barry Freundel, the Orthodox rabbi in Washington, DC, sentenced to prison for voyeurism in the mikveh.”
Chuckle, chuckle.
Salkin continues:
“Nor is it about Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, the Orthodox rabbi in Riverdale, NY, who had meaningful conversations with boys in the sauna – naked.”
Chuckle, chuckle. Yes, yes, Orthodox. Chuckle, chuckle.
Salkin then tells us what he is about to write about.
“It’s about the situation in the East Ramapo school district, in Rockland County, New York, northwest of New York City.”
My dear Rabbi Salkin, if the article is not about the earlier two incidents, then why mention them at all?
The answer is clear. You are attempting to demean and besmirch Orthodox Judaism and Orthodox Jews. There are no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts.”
I don’t know what they taught you about the ethics of how to make an argument in the Rabbinical seminary of Hebrew Union College, or wherever it was that gave you the title of “ethical teacher to others”, but there is something deeply disturbing about your article.
Say what you want about the Hasidic Jews that have been voted in to the school board by the taxpayers of the school district. Say what you want about how they have decided to allocate the tax moneys that the constituents of the school district pay, but don’t, repeat don’t, bring in the behaviors of others to besmirch them.
My dear Rabbi, imagine if you were making an argument against a group of African Americans, and just to make your point -you mentioned that your article is not about African American X that committed this crime or African American Y that committed that crime. You would have been correctly declared a racist. The situation is no different here. The beginning of your article is blatantly racist – racist against your Hasidic brethren.
But your racism does not end there. You mention that the area has become “ultra-Orthodox” and Hasidic. You use a term to describe a group of people that they themselves do not use to describe themselves because it is offensive. “Ultra” is a pejorative term that means excessive. My dear Rabbi, would you ever use a term to describe another group that they themselves would find offensive? No, you would not. Why? Because in your book, it is okay to be racist and biased and offensive to the Hasidic and to the Orthodox, but not to anyone else.
We move on to another part of your article.
You write, “As a rabbi, I am proud of my colleagues who have not stood idly by while the blood of this proud school district has been shed.”
I am sorry, did I just read that correctly? Did you just use the terminology of shedding blood? Let’s step back a moment and get some perspective. In fact, let’s get a historical perspective.
Almost two and a half centuries ago, there was a specific defining moment in who are as a nation. The Tea Act of May 10th 1773, had validated a notorious British tax that was to be placed upon the American colonists. The tax was one that benefited Great Britain, but did nothing for those who actually paid the taxes.
“Taxation Without Representation!” became the rallying mantra of the colonists, and eventually this great nation was born. The “Boston Tea Party” was soon to take its place in our history books. It represents, to American schoolchildren, the spirit that is America.
It is now almost two and a half centuries later.
There is another group of people who are being taxed, with little benefit for those who are actually paying the taxes. For years, for decades, these people struggled to get for their children what those around them received for free. They struggled to get transportation to school. But those in charge, the modern day British refused.
“No, your child must learn math and science, that is the law – but we will not pay to transport your child school.”
“No, we care not a whit that your child has special educational needs. And we don’t care that you have struggled for years with this. We will not pay to help your child – even though some of the tax money that we are in charge of spending comes from you and your community. You must pay for all of this by yourself – even though we will pay for special needs education for other children.”
This was the situation in the East Ramapo school district, in Rockland County, New York, northwest of New York City, for many, many years.
But then the demographics changed a bit.
The Hasidic Jew became the main taxpayer. Those who paid the majority of the taxes to the school districts, Spring Valley and Monsey, were now the Hasidic Jews themselves – those very people who have been refused the benefits of school busing and education for their own special needs children.
These taxpayers then did something that has infuriated certain groups. They have infuriated many in the field of education accustomed to rubber stamped budget increases, the liberal media, and they have also angered you, Rabbi Salkin. What did they do?
They exercised their right to vote.
The people that vote are the people that pay taxes, and while you or me may not like it, the taxpayers have an absolute right to decide that all children in the district should have busing to school instead of some children in the district have busing to school and also music. That is what democracy is about – it is about voting.
Now do we agree with everything they are doing? No. They should be sensitive to everyone in the district and they should strive to increase testing scores and basic education. I think that the Ramapo district could learn a lot from what the school boards in the Five Towns area have done – where they have not only reduced the tax load but they brought up the testing scores in the public schools as well.
Rabbi Salkin, let’s cut the unnecessary and racist swipes. Let’s try and be a bit more fair and balanced when discussing these issues, and realize that there are two sides to every story. It very well could be that this community is frustrated at how much of their taxes are going toward paying for gym programs, music and all sorts of extra-curricular things, while they had fought for years just to get basic busing.
Did you, Rabbi Salkin, ever pen an article or ask a legislator for assistance for special needs children education in the Hasidic community or for busing? You quote a Talmudic passage about giving charity to the gentiles along with one’s fellow Jews – a passage that is certainly true and must be emphasized more. But let’s not forget that the passage says along with – that means we have to be concerned about the Jews too and not give just to the gentiles.
The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com

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