Jewish school registration in New York City has shown a marked increase in the last twelve months. It was announced today by Nathan A. Levine, president of the Jewish Education Committee of New York.
With a current enrollment of 145, 000 pupils in all types of Jewish schools, the combined registration has advanced by 5. 7 percent over last year. A breakdown of schools by type shows: afternoon elementary schools–6. 1 percent increase; all-day elementary schools–8.4 percent; afternoon high schools–10. 9 percent: all-day high schools–14. 3 percent.
“The last ten years have seen a dramatic rise in Jewish school enrollment, ” said Mr. Levine. “Total registration has risen from 60, 000, an advance of over 100 percent. All-day schools climbed from 8, 000 to over 30, 000. The number of Jewish schools jumped from 500 to almost 700.
“We find especially impressive the large gap between New York and the rest of the country in terms of intensifying Jewish education. In New York, about 25 percent of all Jewish-school students are enrolled in all-day religious schools; in the rest of the country, that figure drops to about 3 percent. In New York, only about one-fifth of Jewish school enrollment is in one-day-a-week schools; outside of New York, the proportion is about 50 percent.
“We are proud that we are blazing a trail for other communities. We are equally proud that our far-sighted citizens are spending over $17, 000, 000 annually on Jewish education. It is only by fortifying the bulwarks of Jewish education that we can achieve our goal–the happy child in a secure family belonging to a respected community, all proud of their American Jewish heritage. “
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