To the editor:

I am sorry to say, but as a parent and as a former yeshiva student, I was saddened by Professor Aaron Twerski’s op-ed “The war against yeshivas.”

I take issue with the headline's term “war.” What’s with the catastrophizing? There is no “war” against yeshivas. We are parents and former yeshiva students advocating in an attempt to improve or implement a basic (English/secular) educational curriculum, which every child requires and deserves.

Professor Twerski claims that instances of Hasidim's success in business prove that Hasidic schools hold their own. This argument is a fallacy. It is equivalent to stating that all people who are happy must have won the lottery because in general, winning the lottery will make people happy. It is essentially using a consequence to infer an antecedent. Not all people who are happy have indeed won the lottery. Do some Hasidim succeed in business? Of course. Does that prove that the Hasidic education system is sufficient? Absolutely not.

The fact that one Hasid succeeded at starting a very successful photo company and subsequently hired hundreds of other Hasidim to work for him does not say anything to support the argument that Hasidic schools adequately prepare their students. It does support the argument that Hasidim look out for each other, which is nice but not enough.

Professor Twerski argues that Hasidic schools focus much on analytical and critical thinking skills. I agree with him on that. But he concludes by asserting that “those who possess these vital skills are the best educated.” What? What about the basics? What about English, math, writing, reading, etc.?

Why don’t we start with the basic education that is a prerequisite to any advanced analytical or critical thinking? Why are we depriving Hasidic children of such a basic education? Don’t they also deserve to be prepared for the future? To be given the basic tools that most children in the world are provided with today? Don’t they also deserve to be given every chance to become productive members of society?

Allow me to tell a personal story. I was left educationally deficient by the Hasidic school system. Like many of my friends, I was married (in a semi-arranged marriage) at age 20. With a baby soon on the way, there was great pressure to provide. Although I initially obtained work in the computer field working for family, I was soon looking to move on and advance. At age 21, after some 18 years of Hasidic education (including elementary, high school, and then three years of Judaic studies), I was facing difficulty in securing a job. And it was not because I looked Hasidic. I didn’t. I was repeatedly turned down for positions (in my line of work) not only for my lack of a college education, but for a lack of a basic high school education.

My 18 years of analytical and critical thinking skills, although quite important, as the op-ed points out, was clearly not going to cut it. After years of struggle, I was personally fortunate enough to obtain a medical degree. It is because of the personal experiences and obstacles I encountered that I would like to see improvement for future generations.

The professor also seemed to be mocking the “self-appointed critics” of the Hasidic school system. As a product of the Hasidic school system, if my friends and I who were left lacking in education won’t speak up and advocate for these children, who will?

Hasidic rabbis and school principals have repeatedly dropped the ball on this. The investigation into yeshivas by the city's Department of Education has stalled while Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to look the other way. More and more Hasidic high schools today are canceling their English/secular curriculum. Isn't it time for more oversight on this? Why can’t there be honest and open discussion on this important issue and potential future crisis?

I am somewhat perplexed that someone like Professor Twerski, who is highly educated, would even advocate not to provide children with a basic (English) high school curriculum. I'm sure that as a trained attorney, he is aware that state law obligates education in a number of topics. Is he actually advocating for Hasidic schools to violate the law by not providing students with the basics required? I don’t know whether he actually attended Hasidic elementary and high school. However, a quick Google search produces a list of prestigious schools that he attended for higher education—a privilege that, it appears, he would like to make unavailable for all Hasidic children.

Shlomo Noskow

Brooklyn