GAJE still awaits hearing whether the Supreme Court will allow us to appeal the decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal that upheld the Divisional Court’s ruling to throw out our case. The odds are against us. But since when have Jews ever been cowed by bad odds? Indeed, Jewish history – the few against the many – teaches us the very opposite.
Very few of us need convincing that these portentous, post-October 7 times have thrust all committed and caring Jews, as well as individuals committed to democracy and the rule of law, into an epochal fight for truth and against hatred of Jews and of Israel.
It is well documented by now, and articulated without cease by historians, scholars, teachers, parents, and concerned individuals that the best way for Jews of fighting back against the distorters of truth and the harmers of democracy, is through unfailing determination to intense Jewish education: namely, by raising our children to be and to feel comfortable and proud in their Judaism.
Rikki Zagelbaum wrote a story for The JNS this week that reported on a study by Prizmah, the network for Jewish day schools and yeshivas in North America, that concludes that there has recently been upward-trending “record high” enrollment in Jewish day-schools.
Paul Bernstein, founding CEO of Prizmah, is quoted as saying that “[T]he trends in this report demonstrate the vigor and success of Jewish day schools across the religious spectrum, the increase in their perceived quality and value and the impact of incredible investments in excellence, leadership, and teaching and affordability across our schools.”
The Prizmah report was released on June 24. It analyzed enrollment at 305 Prizmah-network schools in the United States and Canada, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, community, pluralistic and nondenominational schools.
One of the factors for the increase across North America in Jewish day school enrollment has been the October 7 factor. Since Oct. 7, families are “moving closer to Jewish community, enrolling children in Jewish schools and seeking out institutions that offer both belonging and confidence….Families are not only worried about the increase in antisemitism, they are also choosing deeper Jewish connection through schools, synagogues, camps and community institutions as a proactive way to strengthen identity, continuity and resilience,” the report said.
The report specifically points to the initiative, some five years ago, by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Generations Trust Scholarship, that helped abate tuition for some families who otherwise might not have qualified for tuition assistance. The initiative brought more children to Jewish education.
The reason we call attention to the enrollment article is to point to it as quite positive news in less-than-positive times. GAJE fervently hopes that our legal path will be cleared to litigate for fairness in educational funding in Ontario. But our hopes are not determinative of the matter. The judges are.
Irrespective of the outcome of our application currently before the Supreme Court, we urgently plead with parents of young children to seek out every reasonable possibility of offering Jewish identity-forming and Jewish identity-reinforcement education for your children. We urgently also plead with community planners, leaders and philanthropists to continue their efforts to make day school education truly affordable to the families who seek it for their children.
These portentous times demand such a response from us.
The JNS article can be found at: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/record-high-jewish-day-school-enrollment-in-2026-prizmah-report-suggests
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If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit to achieve fairness in educational funding, please click here. Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping to underwrite the costs of the lawsuit. For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com Thank you, in advance, for considering doing so.
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Shabbat shalom
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education
July 3, 2026
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 