The swiftly imposed series of emergency responses to the COVID-19 crisis has contributed to the wildfire spread, in some quarters, of anxiety and dread. In these circumstances, a GAJE update regarding educational affordability might appear to be more vanity than instructive. Thus, we are forgoing the usual weekly update. In its place we simply wish to remind readers during these difficult times to grasp tightly onto the core Jewish values of caring for the weak, the frail and the vulnerable.

In a recent posting on eJewishPhilanthropy, Dr. Haim E. Dahan, the author of “Touches of Grace – Philanthropy and Social Involvement in Israel,” wrote that ‘compassion, charity, kindness and concern for the weak are among the cornerstones of Jewish tradition.’ Of course, Dahan is correct.

Now more than ever, when those among us more susceptible are being urged to self-quarantine, avoid going out and keep to themselves, we must be ever more vigilant to be aware of their respective individual plights and to help them if needed.

Scientists, physicians and social planners advise that “social distancing” is essential to defeating COVID-19. But Judaism, as we know, at its core, is built on values that teach the very opposite of keeping one’s distance from the other.

Ours is a religion that extols social engagement, namely acting always for the wellbeing of the community. In today’s crisis, that means – even as we literally keep our spacial distances from each other – we must still “touch” each other through our mutual concern and by persistent attention to the needs of those among us who are at greater risk.

These, after all, are the values of course that our schools teach our children.

•••

Shabbat shalom. Be well.

GAJE

A remarkable demonstration of individual and communal generosity took place this week in the GTA. Parents, grandparents, family, friends and others interested in ensuring a thriving perpetuity for Jewish education donated $6,598,043, from 5,874 gifts over a 24-hour period in this year’s annual Day of Giving.

The “speed-giving” charitable event, organized by the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education, is a still relatively new, creative innovation on the philanthropic landscape of our community.

The successful program, of course, demonstrates unselfish magnanimity on the part of the donors and the multipliers whose quadrupling of individual gifts was the rocket fuel that launched the fundraising into the heavenly stratosphere. But it also showcases the determination of so many diverse points within our community to meet in the sanctified heart of Jewish education. It was a remarkable geometry of peoplehood.

The success of the annual Day of Giving proves the proposition, yet again, that when the men and women of the community join forces for the patent advancement of the wider wellbeing, positive outcomes will result.

This proposition is also proved in Megillat Esther, which we read next week. Salvation from the rabid peril facing the Jews only resulted after the Jews joined forces together.

Let us take to heart the example of our forebears in ancient Shushan along with that of our neighbours and friends in the GTA this past week.

Let us do all within our power to ensure that Jewish education is forever affordable. For it is Jewish education, that is truly the self-renewing, perpetual gift to all families today and tomorrow intent on embracing life through their Judaism.

•••

Shabbat shalom. Chag Purim Samayach.

GAJE

Prof. Paul Socken, distinguished professor emeritus and founder of the Jewish studies program at the University of Waterloo, published an important commentary in The CJN last week (Feb. 20, 2020). Entitled “The poor had to sacrifice everything for education”, Socken pointedly reminds us how deeply rooted in Jewish history, indeed in Jewish life, has been our obligation to ensure that all families have true access to Jewish education.

Socken begins with a Talmudic story about Rabbi Hillel when he nearly froze to death one day listening from the rooftop to the learning in an academy of study. He climbed to the roof because he did not have the entrance fee that day to enter the academy.

Rabbi Hillel, of course, was exceptional in his desire to learn. Most students would not risk their lives for the sake of more study. Socken makes the observation: “One wonders about the others, whose entry was barred due to a lack of funds and who walked away and never returned.”

The observation is fair even if painful. It was perhaps to ensure no student henceforth would be denied entry to the study hall that Yehoshua ben Gamla instituted universal education for Jewish children irrespective of economic circumstances of their respective families.

“Today’s Jewish day school system is the next incarnation of this long tradition of emphasizing education. These schools are an essential bulwark against ignorance of Jewish history culture and religion, especially in a secular, multicultural society. While the cost, in hard-earned dollars, has become almost impossible for most families, the cost of neglecting this vital institution is far higher for the Jewish future.”

“Education has always been a priority of the Jewish people”, Socken writes. And of course, he is correct.

He pleads with us not to fail this generation of children. We – all of us – must strive to bring Jewish education within the financial grasp of all families.

It is the obligation of the entire community to do so. It falls upon us all, not only the leaders and the philanthropists, to make Jewish education affordable.

We urge readers, in the manner that best fits their circumstances, to heed Prof. Socken’s plea and to support this cause.

•••

Shabbat shalom.

GAJE

The ongoing labour dispute within Ontario’s public education sector gives one pause. It also gives one an opportunity to reflect, again, on whether the current educational funding system is the one that serves all Ontarians best. Indeed, does it even serve the public education system best?

There is considerable evidence to suggest that the government of Ontario would better serve all Ontarians and indeed better serve the public education system in terms of both spending efficiency and more important, the improved educational results, if it made some public funding available to independent schools.

Last month, an article appeared in Calgary’s Business, entitled “Quebec and B.C. spend less on education than other provinces—while outperforming most provinces” written by Tegin Hill and Ben Eisen, an economist and Senior Fellow, respectively at the Fraser Institute.

One of the great advantages of Canada’s federation—composed of federal, provincial and local powers—is that subnational governments can experiment with different ways of providing public services, and adopt the best system based on those experiments. In the case of public education (a provincial responsibility) other provinces can look to Quebec and British Columbia to learn about successful models of spending and delivery.

The authors reviewed education spending across the provinces and arrived at the conclusion that “despite lower levels of spending, students in Quebec and B.C. outperform students in many higher-spending provinces.”

They found that the level of per-student K-12 spending varied significantly by province. Adjusted for inflation and enrolment changes for 2016-17, Quebec ($11,543) and B.C. ($11,879), spent the lowest annual amounts per student. Saskatchewan ($15,423) and New Brunswick ($14,768) spent the highest. Ontario spent $13,894 annually per student.

The authors noted that “according to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, the gold standard of international testing, students in Quebec and B.C. outperformed students in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick in all three PISA test subjects—math, science and reading. In fact, Quebec and B.C. have consistently led in student performance in Canada.

In a separate Fraser Institute study, referenced in an article published in the Toronto Sun on December 17, 2019, (“Ontario spends more on education while student test scores decline”) on December 17, 2019, researchers noted that “over the last decade Ontario’s PISA scores, show a decline in reading, science and mathematics.”

Hill and Eisen asked the obvious question. Why are the educational results better in the two provinces that spend the least per student annually than in the provinces that some so much more?

“One possible explanation”, they answered, “may relate to the very different approaches among provinces on how to deliver K-12 education.”

They elaborated. The elaborations are the reason we reproduce the article.

“Quebec and B.C. have fairly simple public education systems, relying on independent schools to provide the bulk of educational choice including religious-based education, alternative educational approaches, and content-focused programs such as STEM. In contrast, other provinces (including the highest-spender, Saskatchewan) offer religious education and other programs within their public schools. And these provinces tend to have a more complex public school system (Saskatchewan has three competing school systems, for example).

“In B.C. and Quebec, approximately one in eight students attend independent schools, the highest proportion of all provinces, compared to less than one in 100 students in New Brunswick (the lowest rate of all provinces).

“In Quebec and B.C. the government provides financial support to eligible independent schools. In the Atlantic provinces and Ontario, the government provides no financial support for students attending independent schools.

“As a result, Quebec and B.C. rely much less on the public school system to provide choice to students than do other provinces. Clearly, providing greater educational diversity through independent schools helps these provinces achieve better student performance—at a lower cost. (Our emphasis)

“Provinces should take advantage of one of federalism’s great benefits—the fact that it allows subnational (in our case, the provincial) jurisdictions to experiment and innovate with different policy models to find out what works and what doesn’t. The combination of strong student outcomes and relatively low costs to government (and taxpayers) in Quebec and B.C. suggests other provinces could learn from their approach. The evidence suggests many provinces could spend less—and improve student performance—through education reform.”

The point must be made again and again.

The evidence shows that bringing independent schools – to some extent – under the public funding umbrella, actually enhances the public good. Public monies are spent more efficiently. Educational results are improved. More families can choose the educational formats that better suit their precise needs. Moreover, by allowing wider choice while enhancing the overall educational outputs within the province, the multicultural fabric of our society is also enhanced. The argument is entirely false that extending some funding to independent schools harms our society. Indeed, the very opposite is true. It provides our society more ways to shine.

•••

Shabbat shalom.

GAJE

Seth Goldsweig, an administrator at The Leo Baeck Day School, recently posted an article on the eJewishphilanthropy website that relates directly upon the GAJE’s mission to help make Jewish education affordable. Drawing upon his doctoral study on the leadership perspectives of the financial sustainability of non-Orthodox Jewish day schools in Toronto, Goldsweig offers three ideas to ensure the permanent viability of our day schools: the importance of perceived value and commitment, collaboration, and the need for adaptive solutions.

We provide a very brief summary of the main points Goldsweig makes.

Commitment

It is time to tackle with greater ferocity the idea of increasing the level of perceived value for families that are on the fence. There are many studies and articles that can be used to to highlight greater student success in university by day school graduates, the long-term value of Jewish day school, and the impact on Jewish identity formation, to name a few. It’s a start, but we need more empirical and anecdotal evidence, word of mouth, and positive publicity that can be used to convince families that the value of Jewish day school education is worth the cost.

Collaboration

Due to its complex nature and far-reaching impact, the only effective way to solve the Jewish day school sustainability crisis involves schools working together. In Toronto, the heads of all the Jewish day schools – Orthodox and non-Orthodox – meet monthly to discuss issues and share best practices. The Toronto Jewish Federation (UJA) is currently working on securing funding for a multi-million dollar endowment to support middle-income families with tuition assistance for all schools. All of these are examples of communal collaboration. There is reason to be hopeful as the enrolment at the community high school is steadily increasing. However, the high school in Toronto will only continue to thrive if the elementary schools are also flourishing. The elementary schools also need the full support of the community. It is in everyone’s best interest to work together.

The need for adaptive solutions

The solution will require out-of-the-box thinking and bold ideas as we work to create something that has yet to be even imagined. Many of the leaders that answered my survey and others that I interviewed acknowledged that the issue is too complex to solve it alone. The solution will be best achieved when working collaboratively, not in separate silos, to innovate new adaptive solutions.

Goldsweig concludes the article by writing: “It will take new learning and fresh ideas to solve the issue, and a recognition that the community must work together to improve the perceived value and ensure the viability of Jewish day school education.”

We commend the article to all readers for all us, as Goldsweig suggests, have a role to play to finally helping make Jewish education truly affordable.

•••

Shabbat shalom.

GAJE

Cardus, the Canadian independent think tank recently published an article on its website entitled “Independent schools meet an important need”. The story resulted from the refusal of a school board in rural Ontario to sell an empty school building to the highest bidder because the bidder was a denominational (Christian) independent school.

We refer to the story not for the details of the refusal but rather for some of the observations and heartening truths noted by the authors, Brian Dijkema and David Hunt, about the necessity and the importance – for society and for individual families – of easing access to independent school education.

These observations and truths apply to the situation of families in independent Jewish schools:

• “The preponderance of evidence – 24 of 26 rigorous studies – finds public schools actually improve when parents have alternative options, such a debate misses the forest for the trees.”

• “Ontario independent schools are not in competition with public schools. All K-12 education is intended for public good, as it is of benefit to not only the students and families directly involved but society as a whole, even when administered independently.”

• “Research shows that students from independent schools…are major contributors to their communities. In Ontario they are 2.5 times more likely than the average student to collect and deliver food to the needy, 2.1 times more likely to coach or referee on local sports teams, and 2.4 times as likely to be involved in teaching or mentoring youth in their community.”

• “Both independent and public schools meet different needs in important ways, making us all better off.”

“Diversity of needs requires a diversity of delivery systems, so that all kids have a fair chance at a quality education. This is what Cardus found in its recent study, “Who Chooses Ontario Independent Schools and Why?“

• “Most independent school parents are regular, middle-class Ontarians. And the overwhelming majority went to public school themselves. Many tried public school for their kids, but for a seemingly endless variety of reasons, it didn’t work out. Their child needed something different.
Surprisingly, academic performance – a key determinant of economic growth that is front-of-mind for researchers, government, and many voters – did not top parents’ priorities. Although important, parents prioritize independent schools in Ontario for their safety, supportive and nurturing environment, and character development.”

• “Despite their ordinary means and paying taxes to the public system, the study found parents will make almost any additional financial sacrifice to ensure their child gets the education she or he needs: extra jobs, taking on loans, giving up vacations, even asking family or friends for help. And, for one in fifteen Ontario families, this means enrolling in an independent school. They also want to be respected and listened to.”

There is a great deal of evidence – educational and financial ­– that demonstrates that the public educational system is enhanced when independent schools are included, to some extent at least, into the public school realm.

Brian Dijkema is vice-president of external affairs and David Hunt is a researcher and B.C. director at think tank Cardus.

Shabbat shalom.

GAJE

Once again, in our weekly update, we must note a remark by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks that is so very apt to our purpose that it compels re-emphasizing. In his commentary on this week’s Torah portion, Bo, Rabbi Sacks concisely encapsulates the purpose of Jewish education.

Collective memory through storytelling, Rabbi Sacks points out, has been the key to the survival of our religion, our values and our way of life. This observation leaps out especially clearly in relation to the “the Exodus story, whose frame and context is set out in parshat Bo”. He notes that in three discrete instances in the Torah portion, children are central to the story. “[T]he Sages held that the narrative of Seder night should be told in response to a question asked by a child wherever possible. If we are the story we tell about ourselves, then as long as we never lose the story, we will never lose our identity.”

Implicit in his remark is the formidable conclusion that the way to “never lose the story” of the Exodus is to perpetually ensure that it also becomes the story of each subsequent generation.

The Exodus from Egypt, of course, is not the only story we tell our children and hope in their turn they will be able to pass forward to their children as well. It is, however, the pre-eminent story that is central to the theology that underpins our history.

Rabbi Sacks bids us to guard, protect and then hand the story on. We all have a responsibility to do so. “I believe that I am a character in our people’s story,” Rabbi Sacks writes, “with my own chapter to write, and so are we all. To be a Jew is to see yourself as part of that story, to make it live in our time, and to do your best to hand it on to those who will come after us.”

How insightful and prescriptive a description of the purpose of Jewish education! But to enable us to write our own chapter in the ongoing Jewish story and to see ourselves as part the story, as Rabbi Sacks urges, Jewish education must be affordable to the majority.

Shabbat shalom.

GAJE

In his commentary on this week’s Torah portion, Va’era, Rabbi Marc D. Angel provides a very powerful insight into merely five words of the Hebrew text.

God instructs Moses: “Rise up early in the morning and stand [tall] before Pharaoh… (Shemot, 9:13)”

Quoting different authorities, Rav Angel, urges us to find inspiration, courage and meaning in God’s concise instruction. He suggests that the true meaning of these few spoken words is to bid us, all, not to bend our heads – figuratively and literally – in deference to seemingly impossible situations of suffering and especially to perpetrators of that suffering. In the commentary, Rav Angel applies God’s directive as a primer for personal conduct when facing decisive, large, watershed societal moments.

GAJE too can apply Rav Angel’s insight.

The challenge to help make Jewish education in our community more affordable is indeed daunting. But we must not be daunted. As God urged Moses, we too must “stand tall”, unbowed, and unafraid before the task.

And so we shall.

Shabbat shalom.

••• Rabbi Angel’s commentary is available at:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/FMfcgxwGCkmWFPZXQRTnHQLGBZRsCgrT

GAJE, January 24, 2020

The New Year brings new resolve.

As we have written previously in this space, GAJE is moving forward with an attempt to have the law move with the times to compel the government of Ontario to partially fund the cost of education in the province’s independent schools.

We are not asking Ontario to embark on a revolutionary educational funding policy. Rather, we are asking Ontario merely to conform to the funding policies of the next five largest provinces in Canada, indeed with the educational funding policies of many western European countries. Moreover, as the experience in British Columbia shows, extending partial funding to the independent schools actually is a more efficient use of public funds and ultimately yields better educational results due to the competition faced by the public schools to establish and maintain educational excellence.

In resolving to pursue a legal remedy to help abate the unconscionable financial hardship faced by our young families, most of whom pay an enormous price – not all of it financial – to enrol their children in day school, we are mindful of and grateful for the important funding and lobbying initiatives underway by the community also aimed at making Jewish education affordable. But we believe that there is room and indeed an obligation to try to move the law as well as part of a multi-pronged effort to secure the future of our schools as well as the future of the community.

We perceive this also to be a matter of fundamental fairness and justice. What works in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec, should also work in Ontario.

We must not be afraid to bring the situation to the attention of the Ontario public. Nor should we be reluctant to call upon the courts to bring Ontario’s educational funding in line with the diverse life in the province, indeed, in Canada in the year 2020.  As in the other provinces, we should no longer be bound, fully chained, to an outdated educational funding policy.

In the weeks and months ahead GAJE will call upon the public to assist in funding this legal initiative.

GAJE, January 12, 2020