Jewish Children in Public School: Chabad to Combat Assimilation
BROOKLYN, NY — A conspicuous 66% of Jewish kids are missing in action. They are, according to National Jewish Population and Avi Chai studies, the number of Jews elementary and high school students who attend public schools and are no enrolled in any form of religious education. On the at-risk continuum for the disappearing Jew, these kids are in the red zone.
Chabad-Lubavitch has a 60-year track record of pulling Jewish children in public schools back from the brink of spiritual identity washout, with a host of newer programs gaining momentum. At this week’s International Shluchim Convention, Chabad representatives will be sharing strategies for making the problem – public school – part of the solution.
The 250 students enrolled in Torah 4 Teens, a project of Chabad at Flamingo, Thornhill, Ontario, say Rabbi Shmuli and Chani Nachlas’s approach works. By participating in Torah 4 Teens, students receive high school credits. They can get community service credits when they participate in T4T’s volunteer programs.
School perks may draw students in, but it’s not why they stay, according to participants. Melissa Perez, a T4T graduate recalled that she “started off going because I would do anything for an extra credit. But I went in for the first class, and after that I didn’t care about the credits. I was so intrigued by what they had to offer, I just wanted to go to the next class.” After her T4T experience, Melissa enrolled in a post-high school Jewish seminary.
The prospect of earning college credits drew 45 students to Michigan Jewish Institute, a Chabad run fully accredited four-year college, this semester. Located in Bloomfield, MI, the students dual enroll in their high school and MJI. Completing courses in Hebrew language, the American Jewish experience, and other Judaic studies subject gives them a boost in the college credit game. Because the school is an accredited college, state funds are available to offset some tuition costs, which removes the financial hurdle for those wishing to study at MJI.
Few Jewish students attend Detroit area high schools, said Paul Levine, director of marketing and student development. Those who come to MJI generally do not have an opportunity for Jewish studies otherwise. MJI “is an opportunity before they go away to college to give them a Jewish experience so they will be strong enough to survive the wilds of college,” he said.
Groundbreaking on a new 14,000 square foot MJI building – with classrooms, offices, and a cyber café – is planned for the spring.
Article continued (Lubavitch.com)
