Bais Rivkah Teachers’ Strike to Begin Friday

Following their ultimatum to the school’s administration regarding unmet financial obligations, the teachers of Bais Rivkah’s grades 1-3 report in a follow-up open letter to the Crown Heights community that their pleas have all but been ignored, and they have no choice but to begin their strike on Friday.

The following is the full text of the letter:

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your support. We are committed to being fully transparent with you by sharing all that is transpiring. Our goal is to make sure that we come to a real and lasting solution as quick as possible.

We, the teachers of the Primary Department, have had many sleepless nights. The awesome responsibility of educating Bnos Yisroel is something that we don’t take lightly. In the history of Bais Rivkah there has never been a time where a full department got together and decided to take action, despite the hesitation of their principals and administration. We are on our own.

As educators we have been raised on the values of Chassidus. We teach our students how to stay strong no matter what pressures they face. We are taught not to get distracted by the nitty gritty details and focus on “Tachlis” – getting the job done. Now is our time as educators to live by what we teach. This is our “Pinchas Moment.”

For the sake of our students and our community, there is no other choice but to take a stand until a permanent solution is found. We are here for “Tachlis,” and whether it will take weeks, or months, depends on how seriously this letter is taken. We will not buckle under any pressure. All the teachers in the primary department stand as one.

We are deeply disappointed to share with you that we have not received any checks, nor any form of communication regarding last year’s outstanding payrolls. It seems that neither Rabbi Shemtov, nor the board, have come up with a solution on how Bais Rivkah can become and maintain its financial stability.

Therefore, we the teachers, are forced to suspend school for the primary department as of Friday, March 31, and school will not resume until further notice. We will continue communicating directly with the parent body by posting online.

We once again ask all parents who have any influence, to please get involved and help make Bais Rivka a school that has permanent financial stability.

In order for school to resume after Pesach:

A) The last four outstanding payrolls of this year, must be paid by Isru Chag.

B) We are requesting a written plan of how the seven outstanding payrolls from last year will be paid.

Primary teachers of Bais Rivkah- grades 1-3