In a landmark action, the New York State Education Department has cut funding to two Hasidic yeshivas in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, amid allegations of educational neglect. This unprecedented step follows years of evidence that these schools were not offering a basic secular education as required by law. As the state moves towards enforcing educational standards, concerns grow within the Hasidic community, known for its political influence and resistance to oversight in religious education. The decision signifies a pivotal moment in New York's approach to educational compliance for private religious institutions.
A decade after allegations first surfaced that schools operated by New York's Hasidic Jewish community were denying children a basic education, the state government is for the first time cutting off funding for schools it says have refused to improve.
This decision represents the strongest action taken by New York to crack down on schools over their failure to comply with education law, enforcing mandatory education standards even in private institutions.
Resisting outside oversight into religious education has become perhaps the top political priority for the Hasidic community, which has long maintained a significant influence in local politics and tends to vote as a bloc.
The insular community's yeshivas, which rely heavily on taxpayer dollars, teach religious lessons in Yiddish and Hebrew for most of the school day, and offer little instruction in English or math.
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