The Ben-Gamla school controversy: Money trumps Church-State separation

It is an interesting question really. Can a school be "Jewish" without being religious? When the school year starts on Aug. 20, we might begin to find an answer to that. The Ben-Gamla school of Hollywood Florida is a fact of life now, and all you angry opponents can do, for the time being, is sit back and enjoy the show.

The result of this story will be one of two things, a knowledgeable educator told me Friday. Either the courts will close the school preventing this movement from gaining momentum, or the Jewish day school system will collapse.

Those are two good reasons to stay tuned.

1. Approval

First things first: If you're not yet familiar with the story, here it is, in Short.

The Broward County School Board in South Florida approved this summer what will be the nation's first Hebrew-language charter school. Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run and must adhere to all school board regulations and to state requirements. The last two obstacles to the school were removed this past week. The Ben-Gamla Charter School will be operated by a private company, Academica. The students will learn Hebrew, Jewish culture and Jewish history for two hours a day. The curriculum will not include religion or prayer, unless it is organized by students voluntarily. Many of the people attending the school will be Israelis living in the area. They will get what many Jewish parents in this country want: an affordable alternative to the Jewish day school.

A more detailed news story about this school can be read in the Florida Jewish News.

2. Controversy

Separation of Church and State is the problem. This Sun Sentinel piece is a good demonstration of the obvious:
"Would you expect to hear the following sentences in a publicly funded school?

"Our Holy Torah is dear to us."
"God created man on Friday."

"Man is redeemed from his sins through repentance."

These sentences come from a textbook that will be used in the Ben-Gamla Charter School, a new kindergarten-through-eighth grade school scheduled to open in Hollywood next month".
Any questions?

3. Separation

As everybody knows, the separation of Church-State is a cornerstone of Jewish American politics. So much so, that one of the best questions I received for the Reform lobbyist Mark Pelavin of the RAC (when he was my guest a couple of weeks ago) was this one: "the separation of church and state has become a religion in and of itself. I'm not Orthodox myself and do support separation - but why is it that the Reform movement goes to such trouble to defend something that is well defended in the constitution".

Pelavin responded: "we know that no small part of the success of the American experiment is due to this very principle, and because we know that it is this principle which has allowed the Jewish community to become truly at home in America. Jews found a home, a haven, in America where -- because of the principle of separation of church and state - we have flourished. We have been spared the kind of sectarian divisiveness, competition and strains that have torn apart so many countries. Those strains continue to exist in nearly every corner of the globe today".
Convincing? It is convincing, on principal. But now ask yourself this: would you spend 30,000 dollars a year just to show how supportive you are of this principle?

4. Complaints 1

Hearing the parties to this debate talking off the record is quite different than reading the remarks they make on record. Some thorny issues are in play here, that people don't feel comfortable talking about. For example, the fact that the principle of the new school is an Orthodox rabbi, Adam Siegel, formerly a head of the Yeshiva Elementary School in Miami Beach.

Off record opponents: this proves how "separate" this state school will be from the Church.
Off record supporters: there's more than a kernel of Orthodox bashing mentality to the claims of the people opposing us. If the principal was a secular educator they wouldn?t have said some of the things they say.

5. Complaints 2

Off record opponents: The Israelis living here are the ones that really wanted this school. They just don't have the background necessary to understand the importance of Church-State issues. They need to be educated about it.

Off record supporters: It's easy for a Reform activist to criticize us, because the Reform movement doesn't care as much about the Jewish education of their children. They don't send their kids to day schools in big numbers and don't need to struggle with the heavy cost.

6. Model

Some of the opponents are worried about the danger this project posses to the day school system. Supporters of the school say it could serve as a national model, providing families with a financially accessible option. Many non-Orthodox households, they believe, are opting not to send their children to day schools because of the cost. Some of those people can be persuaded to come back to this moderately Jewish option.

The question is this: if such a model, with all its limitations, brings more people into the Jewish educational tent - but at the same time is creating even more difficulties for the "real" day schools? Is it a good thing?

7. Money

Bottom line: Besides principles, a lot of it is about money.
And that is a serious aspect for both sides.