Torah Umesorah Leaders Urge Jewish Groups to Aid Day Schools

With the advent of the new school year in September, a number of Hebrew Day Schools throughout the United States are increasingly concerned about the availability of new income sources to make up for the financial losses incurred by the recent Supreme Court decision striking down state aid to nonpublic schools, according to Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky, national director of Torah Umesorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools. “Because of this desperate financial situation, we welcome, indeed, President Nixon’s recent promise to halt the trend of the closing down of nonpublic schools and to reverse the worsening financial situation of the nonpublic schools through constitutional means,” Dr. Kaminetsky declared, adding: “At the same time we call upon the Jewish organizations to make good on their promises to help the Hebrew Day Schools overcome their current financial plight and grant scholarships to those in need.”

Rabbi Bernard Goldenberg, director, School Organization and Professional Services of Torah Umesorah, who surveyed the schools in Pennsylvania and Ohio said that thus far the 16 Hebrew Day Schools in Pennsylvania will be out nearly $250,000 in next year’s budget while the 10 Ohio schools will be short about $130,000. “As yet, unfortunately, no Jewish agency which fought against state aid has generated any real campaign to help the Day Schools financially within the Jewish community nor has any Jewish Federation stepped forward to make good the loss to Day School income incurred by the Supreme Court decision” Rabbi Goldenberg said. Rabbi Goldenberg, who submitted to President Nixon’s Commission on School Finances a number of proposals for state aid within the boundaries of the Supreme Court decision, said that the Jewish organizations who rushed to contest all legislation on state aid with all of their resources and personnel are strangely quiet when it comes to really helping schools meet their suddenly curtailed budgets as a result of the Supreme Court decision. “Resolutions and paper proclamations don’t pay for teacher wages or for supplies nor do they grant scholarships. Fund-raising campaigns and allocations do. Unfortunately, those organizations which fought against state aid have thus far done little more than issue paper promises.” As a case in point, Rabbi Goldenberg also pointed to New York State where $4 million in school aid to about 180 Hebrew Day Schools is in jeopardy.