One caller said she would welcome better secular studies, but that it would take money — money she said should come from the government. Like many parochial school parents, she said she was already being “double-dipped,” paying taxes for public schools she doesn’t use as well as tuition for her children’s religious schools.
But experts in church-state issues said the government can’t give money to religious institutions without rules and oversight; there are constitutional issues at stake.
Marc Stern, a lawyer at the American Jewish Committee, said the scant secular education offered by so many hasidic yeshivas had little to do with money anyway. The issue revolved more around ideology and tradition.
"If somebody were to offer Satmar a million dollars a kid you’re still not going to see arts and humanities courses," he said, referring to one of the largest hasidic sects of Orthodox Jews.
The Satmars got about $20 million in federal aid last year for its school system in Brooklyn, and they weren't an exception. The hasidic community has received large sums of public money, including for school food, transportation, special education and even internet technology. At the same time, there has been little oversight of the funds, resulting in several high-profile cases of fraud.
This story is Part 3 of a four-day series in partnership with The Jewish Week where you can read the full article.