Presence

Yeshivat Rambam's New Rosh Yeshiva: R. Shmuel Silber

Yeshivat Rambam has just announced that R. Shmuel Silber, rav of Suburban Orthodox Congregation, is their new rosh yeshiva.

Yeshivat Rambam's New Executive Director

Yeshivat Rambam has just announced their new Executive Directory, Rabbi Ari Lerner, formerly of Bais Yaakov. The Lerners will be switching a number of his children to Yeshivat Rambam.

From the YR email list:

Yeshivat Rambam is pleased to welcome Rabbi Ari Lerner as our new Executive Director. Rabbi Lerner brings with him a wealth of experience as a highly talented financial administrator with a penchant toward innovative and growth-oriented fundraising. His excitement and vision for the future of Yeshivat Rambam is a perfect fit for our school. Rabbi Lerner, his wife Shoshana and 7 children (Be'H), are members of Suburban Orthodox Congregation. B'ruchim HaBa'im.

Letter to Yeshivat Rambam Parents

The following letter was sent out to the Yeshivat Rambam parent body today. It contains a more complete outline of the evalution process and the work of the visioning committee, along with a summary of the conclusions and decisions. It's a very clear and concise summary of what was presented at the meeting; it does not address any of the questions that have been raised since the meeting, but does lay out the process and rationale behind the decision that abrogates some of those questions.

Yeshivat Rambam: One Week Later

It's been just over a week since Yeshivat Rambam announced their two-school solution in an effort to attract more families and students. What has happened since then?

Rambam has held meetings with students, as well as with parents of the current eleventh grade class to discuss the changes.

A independant meeting of about fourty parents took place Tuesday night to discuss other educational options for high school students. Options discussed included Beth Tfiloh, Cardin and Yeshiva of Greater Washington (not sure if/why the school formerly known as HAGWASH was omitted). It was reported that Beth Tfiloh has no free appointments for prospective students for two weeks, and is holding a mass testing early in April. It seemed like many parents were anxious to find out more from the school about what the plan for next is going to be, and how the school will maintain or even increase the academic standards with a configuration that will undoubtedly cost more money.

The students put on a Purim shpiel at the school, which portrayed a past, present and future Yeshivat Rambam. Video is available on Facebook, and it's pretty funny. I don't know all the teachers involved, but the ones that I did recognize were very well done.

A person, or persons, unknown sprayed graffiti on the Yeshivat Rambam building that said "F*** Rambam."

The Baltimore Jewish Times has an article in this week's edition entitled "Rambam Splitting Into Two Schools." It features comments from Alex Porcelain and head of the Yeshivat Rambam debate squad, Maddy List.

The discussion on the previous post was intense, to say the least. It's hard to summarize the discussion, but it's clear there are a lot of issues here. Some are meta-issues, such as the value and place of co-education, the rightward movement of Modern Orthodoxy, the balance between secular and religious studies. Other issues are more specific: what will the actual two-school solution look like? Will more people come to the school or leave? What details will emerge at the next meeting in sixty days?

It does seem, however, that most involved in the discussion have accepted the fact that Yeshivat Rambam has to change, or die. While some would prefer to see the school close rather than change, most parents that I have spoken to, and the general evolution in tone of the comments from the previous post, indicate that many that are against the changes conceptually understand that they must be done.

I will add that I'm very impressed with all of the Yeshivat Rambam students who've commented on this blog. The fact that they confidently voiced their opinions, using their real names, and rationally debated with other commentors (most of whom were adults), shows a tremendous amount of self-confidence, courage and maturity. Thank you for participating and yiyasher kochachem.

Yeshivat Rambam Separates Boys and Girls

I'm at Yeshivat Rambam, ther's a meeting with what are supposed to be big announcements. I'll update this post with details. Rumor is they are announcing that they will have separate buildings. More soon.

Notes from the meeting:

rambam has a growing deficit of $1 million. they contracted a consultant to analyze the school and make suggestions on how to turn things around.

jay hobby (consultant) says: enrollment is not meeting expectations, expected 50 students a year. overhead has increased, niche market is tapped out, there are no more candidate families to join the school, message is not appealing to the commuity, and is ambiguos.

vision points include committment to torah, israel, academic excellence, communal resposibility. note that this is not a vision or msion statement, just vision points. (editor's note: the original mission statement started with the term "co_educational" so this represents a significant refocusing of the school's mission/vision.)

60% of families that looked at rambam but did ot send their kids said it was because of the co_ed. stats in favor of separation of sexes. separation does not contradict any of the vision points.

what is happening: starting nexxt year boys 6-12 moving to baltimore hebrew u. classes separated from 1st grade and up. all starting next year.

more details inn 60 days at another meetings.

UPDATE: Ok, I'm home from the meeting now. Wow. Basically, the school outlined the fact that they are in dire financial straits. They have tapped out the market of families that are willing to send their kids to a co-ed Orthodox day school and can no longer grow. Without growth, there is no possibility of the school offering anything beyond what it does now, in fact, without growth the school would have to be shut down due to the mounting debt. In order to assess the situation, the school formed two groups of parents/rabbeim/rabbinical leaders to work out a vision for the school. After much discussion, both groups came to a consensus of what the vision of the school was (see vision points above). Next they looked at the marketplace (i.e. the frum community) did some research and surveys of families that had considered Rambam but decided not to send their kids to school there. They found the common denominator was the co-ed factor. The conclusion that the board reached was that in order to stimulate growth to keep the school alive, the would take measures to attract more families by further separating the boys and girls. They felt comfortable in doing this because doing so does not compromise on any of the vision points of the school (having a co-ed school is not one of the vision points).

This caused quite a stir to say the least. There were some very strong statements made at the meeting (I, personally, was shocked at some of the blatant stereotypes that were said publicly. It's embarrassing, frankly). There were also some very valid questions and concerns raised, as well as some very substantial comments in support. The school is going to present a more detailed overview of the changes in 60 days, including an outline of the executive committee that is going to be taking charge of all this.

Interesting: the kids at Rambam seem to be upset (requires Facebook login). It's interesting to read, as it seems that the kids feel that the co-ed aspect of Rambam is, to them, what sets their school apart.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that I think it's a good thing. I'd rather have Rambam in Baltimore than not, and it's pretty clear that based on the financial numbers they presented, the school would have had to either a) make tremendous sacrifices in academics (they said an option was going K-5) to remain co-ed, b) make changes to attract more students or c) shut the school down. I think they made the right decision, and I'm hoping that those families that had previously considered Rambam but decided against it will come take another look.

Shomer Shabbos

From the NY Times article on Ethan Coen's new play "Almost an Evening," way down at the bottom:

“Our next movie is all about Hebrew school,” Mr. Coen said, with excitement, “in a big way.” It starts shooting in Minnesota this spring.

Candidly autobiographical, “it’s about a family of four in the Midwest, in 1967,” he said, “and one of the kids is about to be bar mitzvahed. Yes, horrible things happen.”

Can't wait! Looks like it might be called Suburbicon.

Arutz Sheva Reports Vandalism in Baltimore?

Arutz Sheva reports: "Three black swastikas were spray-painted on the walls of an Orthodox Jewish day school in suburban Baltimore. Racial slurs were also painted on nearby roads."

Anyone know if this was a recent incident, or if A7 is just re-reporting old news? And what school is this referring to?

Update: An anonymous comment points to the crime log page of the local Owings Mills Times for November 21, 2007, which records an incident: "Smith Avenue, 6300 block, Nov. 16. Three black swastikas spray-painted on stone entrance wall to Bais Yaakov High School. Racial slur spray-painted on road sign at Smith and Chelwood roads. Racial slur and Star of David spray-painted on Jersey wall at Smith and Pebblebrook roads."

Pshat and Drash in Vayera

Adderabbi posts about the Rashbam's interpretation of the beginning of parshas Vayera. My son and I were learning this a few weeks back, as he is learning Vayera in school, and picked up on the ambiguity of the psukim, and came up with this explanation on his own (despite the fact that he had been taught the medrash's explanation as pshat in school). As Adderabbi points out, the beginning of the parsha could really go either way, and is probably more in line with the Rashbam's explanation. The ending (Gen. 18:22), however, fits better with the midrashic explanation: "And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the LORD." I do see how this fits even according to Rashbam; the fact that God says "I will go down" and then the two "men" go would seem to indicate that the two men are representative of "God" in this case. But, if you had to read it straight, the beginning of the perek works best according to the Rashbam, while the end works best according to the midrashic explanation.

I find this often to be the case where a midrashic explanation deviates from the pshat; that there is compelling evidence on both sides of the equation. As a rule, we seem to favor the midrashic explanation over pshat, mostly, I think, because of Rashi's prominence and because it allows more doctrinal flexibility.

A commentor over on Adderabbi's blog brings up the concept of header verses; verses that act as a description, or header, of what is to come. There are many examples of these in pshat, that are glossed over via midrash. A good example is Genesis 1:1; according to the pshat, this is a header describing what takes place over the next few days. We have come to interpret it differently due to a combination of reasons, some midrashic, some epistemological.

Florida Jewish Charter School Ordered to Halt Hebrew Classes

From JPost, US school ordered to halt Hebrew classes. This is the Jewish Charter school blogged about previously. The article doesn't give a clear reason as to why the Hebrew classes were shut down, just that various outside groups were concerned with the religious character of the curriculum.

I'm guessing that the school was using Bible verses or Mishna text to teach Hebrew (which, by the way, can be pretty effective. I taught myself Hebrew by learning Kehati). Having grown up going to public school, I'm pretty sure I was never asked to read a religious text for English class. Then again, I grew up in very-liberal Maryland; I'm sure there are public schools in the US that still require/incorporate specific religious texts/prayers/etc. into the curriculum or daily life of the schools. Which is a huge double standard.

Hat tip to Uncle Uhvi.

Concerned Parents of TA

Someone has started a blog entitled Concerned Parents of TA (Baltimore). From the first post on the blog:

It is the goal of this blog to provide a forum for parents to provide candid feedback to the school, but also to explore, in a constructive manner, ideas that can be implemented to make TA the school that we all know, hope, and expect it to be.

It will be interesting to see if this works. I'm sure there will be lots of anonymous venting, as well as impassioned defenses of the school. I would encourage everyone to either comment under their real names or to adopt a consistent pseudonym, so that there is a sense of conversation, rather than a free-for-all. Also, the administration of the school should be following this blog very carefully, as well as participate in the conversation non-anonymously, which will show that you're listening and help to keep the conversation civil. The feedback you'll get from parents commenting on the blog will be very valuable. Also, it's just about a given that this blog will end up on the first page of Google results for searches for TA, etc., which means people looking for and at the school for the first time will find this blog. If there's silence from the administration, it will look bad from the outside.

The blog was brought to my attention by a commenter on my previous post. If I had to guess, I'd bet that the person who left the comment is the one who started the blog.

Jewish Charter School Opening in Florida

First Jewish-oriented charter school to open in Florida:

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA) -- Margaret Schorr, a marketing and public relations consultant, wanted her 5-year-old daughter Hannah to learn Hebrew, but she wasn't willing to pay the $8,000 to $13,000 annual tuition that Jewish day schools in South Florida typically charge for kindergarten.

For attorney David Barnett, price wasn't the issue -- he wanted his daughter in a more diverse environment.

Both families are set to take advantage of a groundbreaking option: the nation's first Jewish-oriented charter school.

When the school year starts Aug. 20, Schorr's daughter and Barnett's daughter will be among the 430 or so students attending the new Ben Gamla Charter School in this city. The taxpayer-funded institution says it will offer two hours of instruction a day in Jewish-related topics, but not religion.

This is very encouraging. I can not understand why we can't work out some kind of arrangement with the local governments to have secular studies subsidized in some way by the tax dollars we are contributing to the public school system. The local school board should have an established curriculum; math, science, english, foreign languages, etc. and any school that teaches that should be eligible for some kind of tax-funded assistance. It's not like we're providing a superior education that the public schools for secular studies in our current setup. Does anyone know if the leaders/school boards of the local Jewish educational institutions (or "mosdos") communicate with the local elected officials to see if there's any possibility of something like this?

Hat tip to AddeRabbi for the link.

Cost of Being an Observant Jew

CartoonBarry has a good breakdown of the costs of being an observant Jew. His prices are based on Monsey cost of living, and some of the numbers seem strange (who pays $800 a month to their shul?) but overall it's a fairly accurate accounting.

We just signed our payment agreement for tuition for our three kids for the coming year: $26,000. And that's before scholarships, banquet ads, scrip; not to mention hot lunches, books, uniforms, and who knows what else. It boggles the mind.

It's All About the Message

AddeRabbi writes:

I had the good fortune of taking a graduate school class in the history of Jewish Education with Prof. Shaul Stampfer. His emphasis on community-driven ‘market forces’ as a major determinant of the success or failure of educational institutions was truly eye-opening. Every educational institution in the world makes 'business' decisions about what alumni accomplishments to take pride in and what not. Every announcement and every photo in their publications and on their websites are part of this general promotion of their product. News concerning alumni which does not promote the school's vision in some way will simply not be advertised. News which really provides an example of the type of alumni achievement that the school strives for will be celebrated.

This is important not only in the context of alumni, but also in regard to the current parent body and the entire community (even those unaffiliated with the school directly). Some things need to be emphasized, and some things don't, but it has to be done very deliberately and carefully given the communal context.

Zoo Torah in DC

Via the Baltimore Achdus mailing list:

Join a Torah Tour of the National Zoo in Washington DC, led by the famous "Zoo Rabbi," Natan Slifkin! The tour will take place on Sunday, July 22nd, from 2pm to 5pm. It is aimed at adults and older kids, but all ages are welcome. The cost of the tour is $18 for adults and $12 for children. Advance registration is essential as group spaces are limited. If you would like to join the afternoon tour, please email zoorabbi@zootorah. com with the number of people in your group and a contact cellphone number, and you will be sent details of exactly where to meet.

A Dangling Participle Grows in Brooklyn

The Shtus Blog posts a picture of a sign in Boro Park with one heck of a dangling participle:

Non-Parisians: shop elsewhere.

Haiku of the Day

Kids are done with school.
Home office is compromised.
How long till camp starts?

BHU in Trouble

According to the Jewish Times, Baltimore Hebrew University is in trouble. I can't really comment on the role or affect BHU has on the Baltimore community; all I know is that their library is a great resource and it would be a shame to lose it.

From the Yeshiva to the Swimming Pool

From Sunday's Baltimore Sun, an article entitled Subsidy cuts send students from yeshivas to outside jobs:

Growing up as a member of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, Eli Louzoun had a life as traditional as his conservative black hat and dress. Cloistered in his yeshiva, he spent his days poring over religious texts and supported his family with a small government stipend. He never earned a high school diploma or held a job. So dedicated to his spiritual life, he shunned television, sports and exercise. He never even learned how to swim.

But these days you're more likely to find Louzoun at a swimming pool than in the yeshiva. He's a newly trained aqua therapist, a type of physical therapist specializing in water exercises to help treat patients with physical disabilities.

Read the whole thing, it's well-written, from an unbiased perspective, and anecdotally makes a few very important and cogent points. My thoughts: It's working.

R. Teichman Opening Shul, Beis Medrash Near Smith Ave.

A letter is circulating with details of a metting in the coming weeks to discuss a new shul and beis medrash in the works, with R. Zvi Teichman as rav. The new shul is planned to be in the Pickwick/Indian Village area (in other words, near, possibly across Smith Ave.). The letter is somewhat vague, but it sounds like what is being planned is more than just a shul, but a kind of post-high school yeshiva/college hybrid program, along the lines of the beis medrash program at Yeshiva of Greater Washington in Silver Springs.

R. Teichman is the former Rosh Mesivta of Talmudical Academy.

Finding the Happy Medium

Jewboy writes:

I think that the stigma the frum community puts on drinking can have its negative effects. While teens should be discouraged from drinking, I believe that they should also be educated that alcohol is not inherently evil but a pleasure that must be controlled. As evidenced by my actions, I think alcohol can be enjoyed by the right person at the right time, and in the right amount. The problem with much of the Orthodox slamming of drinking is that it teaches kids that all drinking is bad, and therefore if they do drink they think of themselves as bums.

I agree 100%. As I commented over on Jewboy's post, it's similar to the argument over gun control. Anyone who grew up around guns knows that you learn from a very young age the protocols of using firearms. Along the way you learn to respect the gun, and internalize how to use it properly and responsibly. The same goes for drinking, and ideally Purim should be a time when kids see adults drinking for pleasure in a responsible fashion and learn to respect and appreciate both the positive and negative sides of imbibing alcohol. It could be, however, that we as a community and society are too far past the point where this possible.

A related point which Jewboy makes is the increasing amounts of stigmatization in the Orthodox community. Taking a potentially benign act and making it a black and white issue changes the act's societal significance, making the act an outlet for rebellious behavior, or reinforces a negative self-image. This is occurring in all sorts of areas in the Orthodox community, from things like television and movies, to modes of dress, to educational curriculums; the examples are very many and very common. What results is kids who think they aren't up to par because they don't do something insignificant, like dress a certain way. From there, they progress into violations of halacha, or even worse, into self-destructive behavior such as drug or alcohol abuse. As Jewboy says, the focus should be on creating a happy medium and teaching our kids how to approach life responsibly.

By the way, Jewboy wins my award for best Purim costume. Very nice!

Rav Documentary Playing Charles Theatre on Sunday

Baltimore Hebrew University is holding a screening of Lonely Man of Faith: The Life and Legacy of R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik this Sunday, February 25th at The Charles Theatre. Although both the film's site and The Charles' website don't specify a time, I've heard it's showing around 2:00PM. Matinees at The Charles are usually $6.

R. Teichman Leaving TA - This Time, For Real

SoccerDad posts that R. Teichman is leaving TA. No word yet on his replacement, although R. Fuchs will be filling in in the mean time.

There's much, much more to talk about regarding the bigger picture of the shifting educational landscape of the Baltimore Jewish community. Perhaps this week, time permitting.

Yeshivat Rambam Advertises for Baltimore

The following message was posted to the TeaneckShuls Yahoo! Group:

Baltimore, though an `out of town' community, has all the amenities that an Orthodox Jew would need. This includes a wide variety of shuls, schools, and eateries, only 3.5 hours from NYC. In addition, Baltimore has an affordable cost of living & housing and solid career opportunities which makes life for young couples much more comfortable. Yeshivat Rambam of Baltimore, closely affiliated with Yeshiva University is seeking to attract families to the Baltimore area and build up a community based on the values of halacha, Torah umadda, and religious Zionism.

Representatives of Yeshivat Rambam including the current administration and Mr. Barry Nabozny, a well-known real estate agent will be presenting the community. They will discuss Yeshivat Rambam, shuls, careers, real estate market, and provide a general picture of the community.

The meeting will take place on Thursday evening at 7:45 PM at Erica and Efraim Markovitz at 1496 W. Terrace Circle, Teaneck NJ.

If you are interested in more information please contact: Rabbi Kovie Wagner (Assistant Principal of Yeshivat Rambam Elementary School) or Rabbi Uriel Lubetski (Principal of Yeshivat Rambam Middle School & High School).

It's no secret that Yeshivat Rambam has been feeling the heat and looking to attract new families; it doesn't help that a significant number of existing Rambam families make aliyah each year. Teaneck is overcrowded and overpriced, and very close by (if you drive straight, you can get to Baltimore in under three hours), so Baltimore should represent a real alternative for many Teaneck families.

While in the past Baltimore has not had a significant YU presence, that has changed as of late. Two of the larger shuls in Baltimore have YU musmachim, and Yeshivat Rambam itself has many RIETS graduates on staff, as well as a strong connection to YU (when Rambam instituted changes to their educational policy, R. Yosef Blau came down to answer questions from the parent body), not to mention a growing number of YU/Stern alumni in the community.

Housing is much more affordable than Teaneck (or anywhere in NY, for that matter). The kosher restaurant situation is not comparable to Teaneck, but there is certainly a decent selection. The job market isn't comparable to NY either, but there are ample opportunities for professionals, many large state and federal government offices and a few large financial institutions, as well as opportunities for those in chinuch. There are also many diverse and ample opportunities in Torah learning.

It will be interesting to see if this bears any fruits.

Against Scientific Interpretations of Genesis

From Understanding Genesis, by Nahum Sarna:

It should be obvious that by the nature of things, none of [the creation] stories can possibly be the product of human memory, nor in any modern sense of the word scientific accounts of the origin and nature of the physical world.

Biblical man, despite his undoubted intellectual and spiritual endowments, did not base his views of the universe and its laws on the critical use of empirical data. He had not, as yet, discovered the principles and methods of disciplined inquiry, critical observation or analytical experimentation. Rather, his thinking was imaginative, and his expressions of thought were concrete, pictorial, emotional, and poetic. Hence, it is a naive and futile exercise to attempt to reconcile the biblical accounts of creation with the findings of modern science. Any correspondence which can be discovered or ingeniously established between the two must surely be nothing more than mere coincidence. Even more serious than the inherent fundamental misconception of the psychology of biblical man is the unwholesome effect upon the understanding of the Bible itself. For the net result is self-defeating. The literalistic approach serves to direct attention to those aspects of the narrative that reflect the time and place of its composition, while it tends to obscure the elements that are meaningful and enduring, thus distorting the biblical message and destroying its relevancy.

See also my previous thoughts, somewhat similar but much less eloquently articulated.

Speaking of tuition...

...here's a link to YU's 2006-07 tuition rates for Yeshiva College. Notice the significant increase over last year 's rates (scroll down). All in all, it's about $10K more expensive than when I attended, about 10 years ago.

The good news is that it's relatively easy to get a decent scholarship to YU, and there's little to no guilt factor.

And a Good Day to you, Sir.

Gil Student's post about where yeshiva tuition goes made me recall something that's been bothering me for a while.

Schools do not do enough to thank their full-tuition paying parents.

Last year, at my son's kindergarten graduation, the school gave a special Mazel Tov to each individual Rabbi/Rebbe who had a child in the class.  How about a special Mazel Tov for the parents who paid all or part of that kid's tuition?

The Zilberman Method

Last night, TA held an informational meeting for parents of children going into second grade on the Zilberman method.  Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to attend, so when I got home last night, I did a little online research to see what I could learn.  There isn't much online (an inquiry on LOOKJED along with a few responses is pretty much the only formal discussions I found), so I thought I'd do my best to summarize what I know, and hopefully folks can chime in to give a more complete picture.

For those unfamiliar with the Zilberman method, it was started about 20 years ago by R. Yitzchok Shlomo Zilberman, who founded a school in the Old City that took an approach to Torah learning based on the Mishneh in Pirkei Avos (age five for Torah, ten for Mishneh, fifteen for Talmud); in the past, this approach has been championed by the Maharal and the Gra, but not widely adopted.  The Zilberman approach reportedly gained popularity in Israel, and recently (within the past five years, I believe) was instituted in a number of schools in Lakewood.  TA's R. Leventhal went to Israel a few years ago to learn the Zilberman method, and began teaching a single class at TA in the style; after making aliyah last year, R. Pollack received instruction in the method and continues in R. Leventhal's place.

The Zilberman method, based on Pirkei Avos, focuses on Chumash for younger boys, but the method is applied as well to Mishneh and Gemara.  The method focuses on laining the Chumash with the ta'amei ha'mikra (tropp), and includes repitition so as to familiarize the student with the text as much as possible.  Basically, the class will take a section of Chumash, learn to lain it with the tropp, and repeat it several times in order to commit it to memory (I do not know if, in American schools, this includes translation).  This is in contradistinction to the traditional approach, which does not focus as much on memorization, but in understanding the story, words and explanation of the text (usually based on Rashi).  Besides familiarity and memorization of the text, the Zilberman approach touts many other benefits as well (R. Kahane sent a letter explaining these, but there was little substantive information other than vague platitudes to the quasi-supernatural inherenet knowledge of the method's proponents).

TA's current approach is to start a Zilberman method class in second grade, continuing through the rest of elementary school; I do not know if they take the Zilberman approach beyond Chumash, or, if once Chumash is completed, they begin a traditional Mishneh/Talmud curriculum (I don't know for sure, but I am guessing the Nach portion is skipped over in American schools).  The goal here, I believe, is to provide the student with knowledge and familiarty with verses quoted in the Mishneh/Talmud, saving them the need to open a Chumash and learn the relavent text while learning a sugya.

That's about as much information as I have; my intial reactions to hearing about this method a year or so ago was that, for American students, this approach does not make sense.  For Israeli boys, fluent in Hebrew, a simple laining of the Chumash may be enough to convey the plain meaning of the text; in America, where Hebrew is mostly unlearned in a linguistic fashion, it would seem that while the students absorbed the text in a superficial fashion, there would be no real understanding, and certainly no critical understanding.  What would result is a familiarty with the text, making it easier to incorporate into later gemara learning.

Recently, however, my opinion changed.  My son is in R. Pollack's first grade class at TA; for Parshas Noach, R. Pollack has been teaching them both the traditional and Zilberman method (I don't know this for a fact, all I know is that Ezra has been wanting to lain his Chumash instead of reading and translating; he does, however, still know the translation, which leads me to believe that R. Pollack is teaching both methods).  I have to say, I am very impressed with Ezra's knowledge; he is able to lain the psukim covered in class, and has shown interest in laining other parts of Chumash that he has yet to learn (he enjoys reading with the tropp).  I really don't have enough information to make a conclusive decision as to whether or not I would want him taking this approach fully, but I am much more inclined after this than before.  In addition, comments I have heard from parents with older students have been positive.

I am interested in finding out if there are any professional/academic assessments of this approach (beyond what assorted "gedolim" say), and if the Zilberman method has any correlations in other educational approaches.  There is little information online (a Yahoo Search for "zilberman method" should turn up the few pages out there, mostly schools advertising their programs or newsgroup threads), hopefully we can get some good discussion in the comments, maybe even from some people who went last night, or have children in the program at TA.

Update: I did find references to the "Barkai system," which, based on this paper entitled, "An Analysis of the Implementation of The Barkai Method in the Orot Etzion School System," by Steven Esses, sounds similar to the Zilberman method.

New Yeshivat Rambam Principal

I heard about this last week, but haven't had much time to blog lately; then I saw the ad in the Baltimore Jewish News (not the Baltimore Orthodox Times, unless I picked up the wrong paper - a review of that coming later). Rambam has announced that they have hired R. Uriel Lubetski to take over for R. Bald as the middle and high school principal. R. Lubetski attended Gush, YU, Azrieli and is currently the Assistant Principal at MTA.

Rambam Meeting

Iam at Rambam blogging from a blackberry. I will summarize later but its pretty cool that I can do this.

R Bald reviewed the changes and said that, with all due respect, he doesn't understand why anyone would have a problem with them.

The floor is open to parents. A woman who refers to he husbands education at ta and hers at ha of clev as not a "true torah education.". She is saddened to see the school that she loves following the rest of orthodoxy in out-frumming each other. Lots of clapping.

Another woman asks about how the school could be considered coed if the kids are separate from fourth grade on. Dr. Shloush says there are still opportunities for interaction.

Another woman asks eveyone to consider if the coed nature needs to define the school. Some clapping.

Another woman asks if the rebbe will speak hebrew as well as the moros who teach parsha now (and more clapping for the moros).

[Note: from this point on, I'm writing from home after the meeting; I actually took more notes, but someone, who shall remain nameless, felt that playing Breakout was more important than my blogging]

The rest of the evening was pretty much more of the same, with comments both for and against. Overall everyone was very respectful (there was only one person who I thought was disrespectful). Many people brought up the rational or pragmatic benefits of coeducation vs. non-coeducation, or on the the other side, the religious values of non-coeducation (one person even referred to Da'as Torah).

The issue of trust came up many times, with many people feeling that the school had betrayed their trust or broken their trust. Dr. Shloush made an excellent point that other families may have felt as equally betrayed had the school not made changes. I think that the parents of Rambam are lucky that the school is as open and responsive as they are; it's not a characteristic that is to be found in great abundance, particularly in institutions of Jewish education.

More on Changes at Yeshivat Rambam

Yeshivat Rambam is holding additional meetings to inform parents about the changes to the school sent out a month ago. The meetings are scheduled for this Thursday and the following Thursday (I'm going to try to sneak in to one or both, even though I'm not a Rambam parent).

From my understanding, there was significant pushback from the parent body to the outline of changes.

The full letter with details of the meeting is below.

Dear Yeshivat Rambam Parents,

Following up on my recent correspondence to you, we are pleased to announce dates for meetings with parents, administration and lay leadership to review and discuss the matters raised in my recent letter to you, which described various enhancements to our program. Given the logistical issues in meeting with the entire parent body, we have arranged for two meetings; one for parents of students in Middle School and High School, and one for parents of students in the Elementary School and Early Childhood Center. The meeting for MS/HS parents will be on Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 8:30 p.m., and the meeting for ES and ECC parents will be on Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 8:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held at Yeshivat Rambam. We hope that you will attend, and we look forward to everyone’s participation in a constructive, open and expressive forum.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rita Shloush, Ph.D.
Head of School

R. Teichman: Un-resigned or Un-fired?

I've copied the text of the latest letter from TA (they might consider starting a blog...). This one is from R. Teichman, explaining his reasons for leaving, and his decision to stay.

All I can say is, I don't buy it. Having worked for five companies over the last seven years (and having been laid off twice), I can vouch that your average working man does not just leave a job without a good idea of what they are going to do next, unless their separation is compulsory. Also, everything I've heard has indicated that there was at least some kind of mutual agreement to separate. I suppose the truth is out there, but I'm still looking for it.

Dear Parents,

Over the past eight years, due to the efforts of a wonderful staff og Rabbeim, teachers, administrators and a supportive Board, the Mesivta High School has made great strides. As Rosh Mesivta I have been fortunate to play an integral role in that development andI am forever grateful to my colleagues who together with me have brought this dream to fruition. It has been and continues to remain a grat challenge to provide a Mesivta where the variety of our students and their needs can be met.

Recently, I have considered my achievements, in light of my own personal professional goals and aspirations. I had concluded that it was time to seek other opportunities and challenges. There are many factors that go into a decision such as this.

However, due to an overwhelming heartwarming expression of support from parents and sutdents alike, as well as an appeal from my esteemed freinds on the Board and the encouragement of my Rabbeim and colleagues to reconsider, I have concluded that I will remain in my current post. After much soul searching, I have determined there is still much to accomplish in our Mesivta and I do indeed feel a sense of responsibility to continue to build in the successes of the past.

I am deeply indebted to all of you for your support and sincere interest in my family's welfare. I look forward to serving you with ever greater dedication in maintaining the unique vision of our Yeshiva for the benefit of all of our talmidim.

May we merit the Syatta D'Shmaya to see our Yeshiva and children propser and grow in Torah and Yiras Shamayim and my we together merit the Zechus of being Marbeh Kvod Shamyayim.

Sincerely, R. Tzvi Teichman

Letter From TA

As I mentioned on Friday, TA sent out a letter addressing R. Teichman as well as the school's philosophy. I've included the complete text of the letter below, if you'd like to offer your comments.

My thoughts: the letter is clearly disassociating R. Teichman's possible departure with any change in the school's philosophy. That says, to me, that R. Teichman was not sufficiently guiding the school in the direction it wanted to go. So where does the school want to go that R. Teichman is not taking it? Also, although the letter states no underlying philosophical change is taking place, the philosophy outlined is vague and flexible enough to accomdate any number of interpretations, including some incarnations that, although certainly accessible to all students in the community, represent a non-ideal educational environment to many families.

The complete text of the letter is below.

Dear Parents & Friends:

We are writing to you with regard to the recent discussion of Rabbi Teichman’s possible resignation from his position as Rosh Mesivta at the conclusion of the current school year. Rabbi Teichman has led our Yeshiva for the past eight years, and it has been his leadership that accomplished the remarkable development and improvement of our High School. Rabbi Teichman’s sparkling personality has energized the school; his Torah and his vision have raised the school to a fundamentally different level; and his personal warmth and educational wisdom have changed the lives of so many of our individual Talmidim. We are – and will forever be – extremely indebted to Rabbi Teichman for everything he has done for us.

It is imperative that we make clear that Rabbi Teichman’s possible departure does not in any way represent a philosophical shift in the school. We remain steadfastly committed to two core principles that have motivated the development of our High School since we engaged Rabbi Teichman as Rosh Mesivta. First, we recognize that the Yeshiva must be a place that seeks to inspire, nurture and educate all of our children. Second, we recognize that for the High School to be successful at this mission, it must serve as an attractive option for our strongest students. These two core principles have motivated all of us through the difficult journey of the development of the High School.

It is understood that these two principles often may seem to contradict each other. Indeed it is a constant effort to properly resolve the difficult decisions that maintaining both these principles present. It would be far easier for us as an institution to choose to meet only one or the other of these principles; to either dedicate ourselves to serve students not being served by other Yeshivos, or to make our school exclusively for the best students. We will not make that choice. We remain committed to the shared vision of both TA and Rabbi Teichman of a yeshiva that can attract the strongest students at the same time as it serves and develops students who would not be served elsewhere.

Countless expressions of appreciation and support for Rabbi Teichman have been shared over the past week, from students, parents and community members. These have been helpful in encouraging the intense efforts to address and resolve the complex issues that motivated Rabbi Teichman’s original decision. Rabbi Teichman and members of the school’s lay and professional leadership continue to engage in this process. We do not know if these issues will be resolved to satisfaction. We do know that whatever the outcome we will remain indebted to Rabbi Teichman for what he has done for us, and we will spare no effort in working together to continue with a consistent vision and direction.

General Educational Updates

Got to get ready for Shabbos, but two bits of news.

TA sent out a letter today, giving more information on R. Teichman's "possible resignation." I'll put up some more after Shabbos, there's a lot there.

Also, Dr. Shloush sent out an email to Rambam parents (I'm still on the list, as my daughter was in the ECC last year), with some information on more meetings/open discussions about the future direction of the school that would take place in the coming weeks.

Turmoil at TA

I stopped by TA today around noon (my son, feeling sick this morning, miraculously recovered in time for pizza day). As I pulled through the parking lot, I noticed the stop sign in the middle of the drive had been replaced with a photo of R. Teichman, with the words "We Want R. Teichman" written underneath. As I pulled out of the parking lot, a group of high school boys (none of whom I recognized) were passing out flyers with the same message.

I stopped for a few minutes and asked the boys a few questions. There's not much new information to report, basically R. Teichman and the school mutually agreed to part ways next year. The boys attributed this to the school board (when I asked them who the school board consisted of, they named Joel Pleeter), one student commented that the board did not consider R. Teichman "frum enough," but there were no further details about what that meant. The group of boys I spoke to (about ten in number) all seemed genuinely upset about R. Teichman's departure and showed a real affection towards their Rosh Yeshiva (by which I was very impressed).

I also heard that R. Asia (spelling uncertain), the Rosh Yeshiva of the high school for the past two years, will also not be returning next year (R. Teichman functioned as the menahel of the high school and Rosh Yeshiva of the Beis Medrash, from what I understand).

So there really aren't any further details available. There was much speculation in the comments of the previous post, all I will say is that we really don't know anything yet regarding what changes are in store for TA, so it's too early to make any judgements as regards the way things are going. It is clear that there is some impetus to modify the school environment to the more yeshivish in an effort to retain the students who would normally transfer to Ner, but I don't have details as to what those changes are, although I expect we will hear something by the end of the week. The changes could be superficial, or they could be significant. Either way, I hope the board (or whoever is running things) articulates a clear vision as to the future goals of what TA high school will be striving towards over the next few years.

Changes at Talmudical Academy

More big changes in the Baltimore Jewish education arena. I've just got word that R. Teichman, head of the high school at Talmudical Academy, will not be returning next year. I'm not 100% clear on R. Teichman's motivations for leaving, but it is clear it has something to do with TA high school's rapid shift to the right. Word is that the high school will be patterning itself more like R. Schlanger's, with entrance exams (the traditional yeshiva faher), Shabbosim in the school, and possibly (probably) more. I've heard that R. Teichman was uncomfortable with the school changing so quickly and so drastically, but I haven't confirmed it yet (if anyone has any info, please let me know).

I think it's time we raised this as a serious issue within the community. I understand TA's need to move (pander?) to the right; when you look at the demographics of the families in the community, there is no question that TA as it is today does not appeal to the largest segment. Many boys leave for Ner or out of town, TA is then forced to accept washouts from New York to fill up classes, degrading the high school atmosphere. Although I doubt that there isn't some religious motivation behind their moving to the right, I understand from a business perspective why an institution would do this from a business perspective.

But the real question is: Where do middle-of-the-road families send their children to high school in Baltimore? While I empathize with TA's dilema, in some ways I view this as a betrayal of the community. We have a yeshiva (Ner), we have a mesivta (R. Schlanger's). We don't need another one. What we do need is a yeshiva day school for boys that takes both Jewish and secular education seriously. More than anything, I see this as an opportunity for Rambam to step up and play a larger, more prominent role in Baltimore's Jewish educational landscape. I would hope that the schools are engaged in some sort of dialogue with each other to discuss how to collectively address the educational needs of the community in the best fashion; I doubt that they actually are, and that's a shame.

More news as it develops, if you have information, please send it my way.

Changes at Yeshivat Rambam

The following is an approximate excerpt from the letter detailing impending changes, sent to current parents of Yeshivat Rambam students:

In 2005:
- The addition of R. Jay Wagner as an Assistant Administrator in the Elementary School.
- The addition of R. Ira Kosowsky as the Israel Yeshivot and Seminaries Guidance Counselor.
- Separate Shabbatonim for boys and girls in the Middle School.
- A slightly altered model for Senior Class Trip.

In 2006-07:
- Separate lunch periods for boys and girls in the Middle School
- Separate Shabbatonim for boys and girls in the High School

In 2007-08:
- Separate lunch periods for boys and girls in the 9th and 10th grades; rolling forward the following year.
- Separate classes for boys and girls in the 4th grade, rolling forward.

In addition to the above, we are looking into the possibility of offering a more intese Beit Midrash track in the High School and introducing rebbeim to teach Parshat Hashavua to the 3rd through 5th grades. This will be in addition to Mishna which is already taught by R. Wagner in 4th and 5th grades.

Additionally, there is a mention of "greater commitment and active parent participation in helping Yeshivat Rambam students understand the importance of tzniut, both in their dress and in their general deportment."

Big Things are Afoot at Yeshivat Rambam

I just got word from an inside source (OK, the parent body of Rambam got a letter in the mail today from Dr. Shloush, and I happen to be closely related to one of them) about the upcoming changes to Yeshivat Rambam. I should have a copy in my hands shortly, but overall, it sounds very positive. It's definetly, in my opinion, steps in the right direction (or the correct direction).

I'll post later with a summary of the changes. One thing I can confirm is that R. Bald is leaving (I have no idea if this is a good thing or bad thing).

Follow up on Yeshivat Rambam

I'm amazed that there was little to response to my post on Yeshivat Rambam. Not because I thought it was such a great post, but because so many people brought it up to me offline. At least half a dozen people came over to me or emailed to discuss the situation, which is much more than usual.

I certainly don't mind people talking to me about things I write here, but I think there's greater value in adding your thoughts to the public conversation. Anonymity is never a problem, if you're concerned about that type of thing. So please, join the conversation and let your voice be heard, because there are people that need to hear it.

[Note to Rambam: Not to put the pressure on, but my assessment is that many, many more families than even you currently estimate would give serious consideration to switching their kids to your school, if the co-ed situation was different. There are many, many families that are very interested in providing a well-balanced education to their children, just not in a co-ed environment; it may be dumb to put one before the other (so is choosing a school based on whether or not they require the boys to wear hats during davening), but that's just the way it is.]

School Daze

Last week, Yeshivat Rambam held a series of parlor meetings in an effort to gather feedback from current, former and prospective Rambam parents on the school. We attended one of the meetings, as we are both former and possibly future Rambam parents. I didn't really participate in the conversation, since I was having trouble formulating exactly how to express how I felt about Rambam. After some time to gather my thoughts, here they are.

Most of us going in thought this was really just a meeting to discuss the co-ed nature of Rambam. Although we were assured that it wasn't, it really was. The evening began with everyone saying what they liked about the school (BORING), and then what they did not like. The subject of co-education came up immiedietly, and dominated the conversation for the rest of the evening.

In retrospect, these meetings were really market research focus groups. Rambam has a problem in that the school is apprently not growing. They are looking at what they need to do to expand their student body. They got lots of good feedback last night. My advice to Rambam: think of it like a business. If there are more families that want would send their kids to a non-co-ed yeshiva day school than those that would insist on co-education, then it would behoove you to adjust your environment accordingly. Let's face it: Rambam was started by whoever it was started however many years ago. That's great. Who knows if being co-ed was an explicit choice or a neccesity. It doesn't matter. Look at the community, and figure out how you can service the broadest range of students and families. If you build it, they will come.

All the other schools in town are doing this. TA, Bais Yakov, TI, B'nos Yisrael. They are all refining their school's atmosphere in order to attract the largest number of students. Rambam is the only school that is not (although, I guess by starting this conversation with the community, they are; but they haven't done anything yet). I guess that's OK, but with it must come the realization that you will be a niche school. I personally think it's also a disservice to the community, but that's just my opinion.

On a personal level, I'm not sure what it is that differentiates Rambam from TA/Bais Yaakov (where my children are currently enrolled). I don't really have much of a problem with elementary co-education, and my objections to middle and high school co-education are less religious in nature, more based on my own experience. I guess I just feel that Rambam is off pursuing their own agenda, and making that their mission, rather than attempting to organically fit in with the needs of the community. I'm not really interested in making a political statement with where I send my child to school. I just want him to get a good education, enjoy learning and have nice friends. I'm not ecstatic with the current educational options for my kids (my son less than my daughter), but I feel that their current school exists more as a service to the community than to wave it's own flag. If Rambam can become a part of the community, I'm all in.

Banning the Internet...It's Not Just for Kids Anymore!

The ban on the Internet has now been extended to the members of the Lakewoord Kollel.

So here's the question: Did the Internet just get more or less:

• interesting?


• entertaining?


• valuable as a resource?

When I first heard about all this "stuff," I tried to tell myself that Lakewood was a different world that I had nothing to do with. Then I went to shul Friday night and met my neighbor's brother, who was visiting from Lakewood for Shabbos. And so I realized that this very much has to do with me, with us, with all of us.

...And Justice For All

What do we know about God from the Torah and Halacha? Our God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, is a God we have a personal relationship with, as individuals and as a nation. He is not the abstract and distant unmoved mover of Aristotle. When we have problems, we don't deal with bureaucracy and red tape, we go straight to the top. Our God is the God of the widow and the orphan, of the poor and the hungry. He stands at the bedside of the sick and comforts the bereaved. We look forward to a time when His imminent Presence brings about a level of kindness and justice that all but eliminates human suffering. He is the ultimate ruler, a King with immeasurable power, yet He takes the time to welcome each of us into his palace and consider our needs as individuals. This is the portrait of God that we get from the Torah and Halacha.

As Jews, our job is to take example from our deity, to immitate his actions in this world, in our community. A Jewish society that is awash in uncaring, in bureaucracy, of social castes and elite cartels, is not a true Jewish society. A Jewish instituion that misleds its consituients, even for practical reasons, is not acting in a Jewish fashion. We are charged with a special mission, to create a world (not the whole world, but our own world) where people are not treated like objects, but are engaged in relationship with their fellow man. When Man stands alone, deserted by his fellow Man, helpless with none to come to his aid, with none to listen to his pleas, the covenant is broken. What happens when we come upon this Man's lifeless body, lying outside the city walls, beside broken tablets, the ground under his body infertile and incapable of further sustaining life? We proclaim that our hands are clean, we did not spill this blood, and we look to God for justice, but He is not to be found. Somewhere along the way, God's Presence has withdrawn, sitting alone in the Heavens, weeping for the lost city, which lays in ruins.

How fare the walls of our own city? Are our walls built strong, held together by the solid bonds of relationship, of kindness, justice and truth. Or are our walls breached, gaping with holes of inconsideration, bureaucracy, injustice and falsehood? It's a good question; I think in certain places, our walls are strong, impenetrable. But in others, many others, there exists an endless void that we continue to turn a blind eye to, despite the fact that we are daily reminded of our failures.

Beating the System

YU has finally closed the IBC loophole. I suppose that's a good thing. Although I did not take advantage of this while in YU, I can easily see myself doing so. It is amazing to me now, looking back, the types of things that were done in the name of, and for the sake of, Limud HaTorah. It often seems that many who go through the yeshiva system come out well-learned in naught but the art of beating the system. The little voice inside my head says that this is not a good thing.

The Tuition Crisis

The response to my last post about tuition generated an overwhelming response, with some lively discussion in the comments. Since it's clear that people who read this blog care little for my other interests, I thought I'd revisit the tuition issue towards the goal of starting what I would hope would be fruitful dialogue.

Some think that there are no problems with the current system (or more correctly, systems, since every community, due to differences in economics and geographics, is a situation in and of itself) and everyone should simplyl have faith and pay your bills, even if it means sacrificing in every other area of our lives. Others are looking to at constitutional ways to help alleviate the burden on parents. I don't think there is any single magic bullet that will fix this problem, but before we begin the process of discussion, I think it would be instructive to set out our goals, so we have an idea of where we are trying to go.

Here's a list of goals for my school system. These are in no particular order, if you have thoughts or additions, add them in the comments.

1. Reasonable tuition for parents. The system should not require the haves to pay the way for the have-nots.


2. Adequate and respectable compensation for educators.


3. Quality education, both religious and secular, in a single environment.
   
4. Communication between schools and families, accountability from school administrations to parent boards and families.


5. Support from the broader community, not just the families who have enrolled children in the school.

This is really just a beginning, and leaves a lot unsaid, but I think it's a good start at looking towards looking at where changes can and should be made. I hope you'll comment on what you think, I will attempt to go into more detail, sometimes with specific examples.

A note on an apparent contradiction between items #1 and #5: the current system, I believe, is set up so that those who pay full tuition carry the burden of those who do not. I don't think a tuition structure should be implemented in this fashion, because there's little incentive for those getting a break to make things better. On the other hand, having the community as a whole, either directly or indirectly, supporting the educational institutions, which implicitly recognizes their role in the continuation of the community, is a positive goal to strive for.