As modern Orthodoxy dies in Israel, it thrives in New York

American modern Orthodoxy, on the whole, educates its students to think like a secular person and have secular goals and aspirations whilst nominally adhering to "the Jewish thing". Is it a big shock that the majority of MO youth either go off the derech or veer towards the haredi world? They're simply looking for something genuine.

Today my girls gave their presentations on famous Jewish heroines, ranging from Golda Meir to Rebbitzen Kanievsky to Ruth Gruber. One girl had to miss the class because she was at a recording studio with other girls from the school to record a song. Modesty is not an issue at our school because the girls wear long sleeved tea-shirts of various colors with the school's emblem. Is this article a bit exaggerated?

Just came back from my first visit, to Israel. i am a typical middle class Jewish American , on a guided tour no real religious training. was impressed with my kippa wearing guides and the folks on the kibbutz i visited, to me they were MO and could fit into that community in America. the Haredi in America get some support from the US govt, they have many ,many children, but they also have to work. Sent my kids to Jewish Day schools, expensive, but wonderful Jewish American experience for them. the idea was to give them a good education and knowledge of Judaism , our parents were immigrants and poor. I know , I know the charges , materialistic , not deep in religious knowledge etc. Mission accomplished they lead happy successful lives and we have Jewish grandchildren . My kids will add to Jewish continuity in secular American . worth it and so is MO in America, and as my MO Orthodox rabbi says, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.

Since most of what I wanted to say is comprised in many of the comments below I just have a point about why this is in Haaretz. Again, its editors see fit to write negatively about our great country, the people, and opportunities galore here. They would rather sweep the true testament of bibical prophesies coming alive in the Holy Land under the rug. Are there issues to confront? Of course, but leave it to Haaretz to present a slandered side of Israel or shall I say maybe an attempt to slow the aliya of North American religious Jews who make up the biggest percentages of olim in the last 20 years moving of their own convictions. North Americans have successfully found communities in Israel with the education they are looking for especially for families who aren't rich or have special needs or both. Don't let this article sway anyone from North America or around the globe from not taking the natural step of fulfilling the commandment of inheriting and settling the land! Bevracha

Many of the Modern Orthodox innovations, attitudes, and outlook that the author finds at SAR one can find in israeli schools, mostly in Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion area. Yes, these areas include many American olim, and yes, American Modern Orthodoxy of the left wing variety has been influencing the more Modern Israeli Dati Leumi society. However, many American "Modern Orthodox" schools suffer from the same problems Israeli schools suffer from in this regard. Many American Orthodox schools are staffed by American charedim, even MO schools. In some Orthodox schools 19 year old girls who studied in Israel for one year in seminary teach Jewish Studies and Hebrew. In more MO schools the girls are 22 year old Sten College graduates teaching for two years before law school and/or marriage. You need to compare like with like. Riverdale's equivalent is Efrat, or one of the religious kibbutzim if you prefer solely Israeli accents. There are so many amazing things happening in Modern Orthodoxy in Israel, especially in women's education.

We are an American family living in Jerusalem, and our three children have studied in both SAR Academy and a variety of Israeli "modern orthodox"schools. There is no school here that can compare to the extraordinary educational experience that SAR offers. It has a magical combination of highly skilled, dedicated, loving teachers, a strong professional administration, an exciting and challenging curriculum, and a highly educated and broad minded community of families. My children got a world class academic, religious and midot education. Unfortunately, in our experience of the Israeli religious primary/middle school system, we've encountered a vastly inferior educational and social environment. Some of the deficiencies are absolutely staggering. I could fill a book. I hate to generalize, but since we've been to so many schools, I feel we have a unique perspective on this issue. I was shocked and so saddened to see so many narrow minded and arrogant school administrators and undertrained, unmotivated and emotionally volatile teachers. Anyone who lives in Israel KNOWS exactly what I'm talking about. In my opinion the only good thing about many Israeli schools is their real estate. They're in Eretz Yisroel, and the most enriching educational experiences happen outside of the school. Now, having said that, It would be a true blessing for the Jewish people, and a gift to Israeli children to build an SAR Academy primary school in Israel that could serve as a model institution and would be emulated throughout the country. This should be our educational standard. To some degree, unfortunately, it sometimes just comes down to economics. The Hartman Institute in Jerusalem has arguably positioned itself as the premier academically challenging ,liberal /orthodox, middle/high school. My son is a student there. Unfortunately space is very limited and literally hundreds of kids and their families vie for the 60 spaces, in each of the boy's school and the girl's school. If they would open up another class, they could fill it in about ten minutes. Hartman relies on paltry government funding that they supplement with private donations, from Israel and abroad. Israel simply doesn't have enough good institutions, and heaven help the child that ends up in a "bad" school.

I'm sorry, but Modern Orthodoxy is a farce that will not live beyond a generation or two. Anyone who honestly believes otherwise is delusional. How dare I say such things? From where do I source such strong opinions? Well, as someone who is a product of the MO day school and high school system (and is no longer religious I might add), I can tell you that the movement is grounded in principles that are simply not tenable in modern American society. One only needs to look at the graduates of the premier MO high schools in North America. Frisch, Ramaz, SAR, and countless others all are not producing students wishing to continue an "observant" lifestyle. They go off to college, maybe join the campus Hillel, and within a few weeks are partying Friday night with the rest of their friends. Kosher, saying no to sex? Get real. Trust me, I was there. All my friends were too. This is the harsh reality. It seems no one dares admit it, but Modern Orthodoxy was and continues to be a failed experiment. The only people championing it are those like this author, who try to believe that by sending their kids to a school like SAR they're getting the "best of both worlds". Come back to me in ten years Vered, and if even a quarter of your child's graduating class is still observant than I will gladly renounce my position. This is why, despite all its flaws, the state of Israel is and will continue to be the only salient future for Judaism in the 21st century. Anyone who believes otherwise is welcome to stay aboard, and continue sailing on the sinking ship that is the American state of "Modern Orthodoxy".

First of all, Modern Orthodoxy in America is a religion for the wealthy. If you cannot afford $20,000 tuitions, or to live in million dollar modern orthodox communities, then quite simply, you CANNOT be modern Orthodox. Second, Modern Orthodoxy claims to be a Zionistic movement. Indeed, most new olim to Israel identify as modern Orthodox. However, these new Olim represent a tiny fraction of America's Modern Orthodox Jews. They wave the Israeli flag, sing Hatikva and say Tefilla LShlom HaMedina. They even support Aliya and Israeli institutions, but when it comes to actually living in Israel, there is silence. They talk a good game, but when it comes down to it, modern orthodoxy in America is quite shallow. It's a shame too, because they have so much potential.

A private school has to teach what the payers (=parents) want, not only what some rabbi demands. Americans believe in personal responsibility. God may provide the gold but you will have to mine it. Clergy do not receive any money from the government in the USA. Each community pays its rabbi(s). And pays them very well ($50k+ pa)

Modern Orthodoxy isn't dead in Israel. There are a bunch of moderate dati leumi. There's even a new leadership organization called Beit Hillel.

I like SAR and have met some of their top students in Israel. Their level in every area in Torah education is a joke compared to their peers here. A joke! In Torah, Navi, Talmud, Philisophy, etc. they are years behind similarly gifted Israeli students and in general far more immature. This article just doesn't jibe with the reality. I know from first hand (I teach many of them!)

just worth noting that the SAR Bat Mitzvah Program is actually the Matan Bat Mitzvah program - created in Israel by religious Israeli women scholars and disseminated throughout North America

So Jewish children feeling at home with works such as the Mekhilta and Tractate Kiddushin is a bad thing? The invective "petty, embarrassing minutiae of Jewish religious law" could have been written by Martin Luther.The thousands wearing kipot seruga in Israel would be surprised to hear Modern Orthodoxy is dead, has v'shalom.

With all due respect to the author, I'm not sure it's fair or accurate to use one exceptional example of American Jewish Orthodox education and than apply it to the whole. First, SAR truly is an exception. It's a wonderful place. However, there are many - too many - American day schools one could point to as an example of what's wrong with Jewish education in America. It's great that the author touts Ramaz' co-ed choir. But other than allowing boys and girls to sing solos, is Ramaz creating life-long Jewish learners? The author may want to look into the off-the-derech rate at Ramaz. It's not a pretty picture. Or more tellingly - the author may want to take a look at articles from the past few years about the Manhattan Day School (the feeder to Ramaz) and how they refused to even consider a special needs child who had the capacity to be there and came with her own extra services (i.e. the school wouldn't have had to spend a dime on supplemental services for the student). The way the school treated the family, in public and in private, was beyond reprehensible (in fairness, SAR has a very different approach to special needs). This would not happen in Israel, where special education is simply a given. Sorry - but if I have to choose between not liking the choice of R. Tvi Yehuda Kook and being in a school that does not live it's Jewish values, that's a very easy choice for me. My child is in 8th grade in Israel. I am marveling at the incredible range of choices in schools he has that he wouldn't have in the U.S. if he were looking at day schools - both the choice in approaches to Jewish study and opportunities for secular study. That would also be true if it were my daughter looking at high schools instead of my son. Do you really think that the rigorous inquiry, questioning and openness you enjoy at SAR (and then mistakenly attribute to American Modern Orthodoxy in toto) doesn't exist in Israel? Pelech is just one example among many. And yes - there is that $22K price tag. It's not a small thing. It means that many - maybe the majority - of Jewish families in the U.S. are shut out from a serious Jewish education, even with whatever scholarship may be available. That's simply not the case in Israel. It's great that the wealthy can afford a wonderful Jewish education in the U.S. Is that really our goal as a Jewish community?

the article may well have been an ad for SAR, but that school is an anomaly; few, if any of the Orthodox day schools have as great a commitment to openness and innovation; most, unfortunately, are run by 2nd-rate educators who are terrified at the thought that anything they do or say might be considered . The principal who was highlighted, R. Benyamin Kraus is himself unique in the field; he was raised in a family with deep roots in Torah; however, unlike most of his father's contemporaries in the rabbinate, R. Simcha Kraus has never shied away from confronting extremism and narrow-mindedness in the Orthodox community of synagogues and schools. Furthermore, it is R. Binyamin Kraus' mother who was and still is one of the true leaders in the expansion of excellence in Jewish education for women. The SAR experience would serve as a wonderful model for the day school movement; unfortunately, it is for the most part, an outlier

In Israel the ultra-orthodox have enormous political power and they are going to use it to influence every sphere of daily life.