[Avodah] Public school or non-Orthodox day school?

[Harry Maryles]

R' Daniel Eidensohn asked:
> Is it was preferable to encourage a person to stay in a
> non-Orthodox day school or let them go to public school.  I have often pondered the same question. And this question is nore significant now than ever because of the proliferation of the Conservative Solomon Schechter schools system.

On the one hand they teach a view of Judaism that from an Orthodox viewpoint is considered to be heretical. The accept documentary hypothesis which denies that the events at Sinai ever took place. They say instead that it was written much later in various different periods in Jewish history. However they do, say that biblical narrative was divinely inspired. 

On the other hand, Solomon Schechter schools teach Mitzvah observance. While they dispute Orthodoxy’s interpretation of Halacha in some instances, they agree to their binding nature generally.

So a child who attends such a school has a mixed bag of information to deal with, a combination of heresy and Halacha observance. 
  
Most of those attending those schools will quite likely continue to assimilate into oblivion, but, a significant minority will be inspired to continue in the movement as committed Conservative Jews believing themselves to be a legitimate denomination. This is a dangerous proposition in that the Torah world will have to face yet another group of educated Jews with apostate beliefs who will be difficult to distinguish from Modern Orthodox Jews with a legitimate view of the events at Sinai. 
   
  They will think, act and look like Orthodox Jews, observing Mitzvos some attending Orthodox synagogues and participating in Jewish life in much the same way that the Modern Orthodox do. The only difference will be their views about the events at Sinai. They may, or may not believe in it. 

On the other hand, they will be learning elements of Judaism that are essentially true. And perhaps they will be motivated to seek truth by looking into Orthodox Judaism after seeing the hypocrisy of the Conservative movement. This has indeed happened. Many times. Without Solomon Schechter, these very sincere Baalei Teshuva would never have been exposed to Judaism at all. 

Until a few years ago many of the graduates of the Solomon Schechter elementary schools attended the Modern Orthodox High school here in Chicago. After four years at an Orthodox high school some of those graduates remain Orthodox. 

An additional argument in favor of those schools is that it is much easier to mainstream kids who have had an elementary education consisting of reading Hebrew, learning Chumash, Navi, Jewish history, and other Jewish subjects, than it is trying to educate Baalei Teshuva who have virtually no background. Without the Solomon Schechter Schools, most of these kids would have gone to public schools and would have almost certainly been lost to assimilation.
   
  I know of at least one very valuable member of the Torah world that attended Solomon Schecther. He has stated  that had he not done so, he would not be religious today.
   
  HM
  
 


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