Lost in Translation

Last week, neighbors discovered a link to a YouTube video extolling (in Hebrew) the virtues of the Ben Gamla Charter Schools:

Now, this wouldn’t be especially notable except for two things:

1. Peter Deutsch claims the BGCS proposed for Hallandale is intended to benefit the local community
2. The city commission will vote on this horrible idea of a project on May 18

Briefly translated, the video is about this year’s girls were telling next year’s girls about the Ben Gamla charter school. In short, the girls explain that about 85% of the students are Israeli / Jewish and that it really makes them feel at home. They also mention that since they can’t talk about religion or religious holidays outright, they just call them different names.

For example, Purim (the Jewish holiday commemorating the deliverance of Jews in ancient Persia from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman) is called “Fun” Day and Hamantaschen (triangle cookies eaten on Purim) are called “Happy” cookies.

The girls go on to say that celebrating Hanukkah is no problem since it’s an historic event.  The girls wrap up with a summary of how the school is all about Israel and its culture.”

The video was taken down in a hurry and we don’t have to wonder why.  Deutsch and his loyal band of Ben Gammies are trying to sell Hallandale residents a line of BS that no one with a functioning brain should fall for. They took that video down because they realized it would damage their cause but the fact that it was posted at all should be ringing very loud warning bells for every Hallandale resident.

The school is a sham.

For anyone who actually cares and is willing to look at the facts, Deutsch is already on record with the Jewish Times that Ben Gamla is meant to be a solution for disenchanted and budget conscious Jewish parents:

…”Indeed, says Deutsch….very few Jews are going to put together the amount of time, money and effort to build a school where the majority of kids are not Jewish. It doesn’t deal with the fundamental challenge of the American Jewish community, that you don’t have kids getting a Jewish education.”

While there are plenty of other Hebrew schools out there, Deutsch’s detractors know he has an agenda that is exclusionary; the article points out:

“However, one charter school planner ….said he sees Ben Gamla as “an example of what not to do,” saying it serves too narrow a constituency and is too similar in approach to a Jewish day school.”

Deutsch confirms his intentions later in the same article:

“Is the vision to show you can have a Hebrew-engaged program and show the positive values of Hebrew history and culture to the general community?….But from a Jewish communal perspective, it’s not such a significant goal….If you really want to change the Jewish community, what’s so great about a gentile speaking Hebrew? It’s amazing, but not important from a Jewish communal perspective.”

At JewSchool.com, a post from April 11, 2011 titled “The Price of Jew$chool” states:

…”we’re talking about the ever-skyrocketing expense of sending children to Jewish day school in the U.S….A recent Huffington post article, also lamenting the current tuition crisis among orthodox Jewish day school, concurs: there is no end in sight.  One emerging ‘alternative’ mentioned in the article is the new wave of Hebrew Charter schools opening across the U.S.… and the Ben Gamla Charter school in Hollywood, FL, which offer one possible compromise, by offering Hebrew language instruction without the formal religious studies curriculum which serves as the backbone of traditional day school education….all for free. 

Others, especially in the orthodox community, argue that such charter schools, without the ritual, theological, and life cycle components which are the hallmarks of Jewish day school education, will not properly educate and socialise Jewish students seeking a “Jewish” education.  Furthermore, as public schools, these schools are technically open to any student, regardless of ethnic and/or religious background; many of these schools accept students via a lottery system”    Hmm…we don’t think they mean this in a good way.

An article at www.forward.com focused on the burden of making Jewish Day Schools bearable:

“Yet another alternative looks to fully utilize the public school system. Particularly in densely populated upper-middle-class communities, the burden of the public school system is already being paid for by the local homeowners. It is a service that is paid for but not at all utilized by the home-owning Orthodox community.” Read more: http://www.forward.com/articles/8540/#ixzz1LKijq5wT

A neighbor told us that if the city commission does not approve the BGCS application, the city could possibly be sued, to which we say, do what’s right for the neighborhood and take that chance.  Hallandale Beach residents will not benefit from this school; the demographics do not support that claim, nor do the statements made by Deutsch while he’s busy sucking up to the writers at Jewish Times Magazine.

Elections are coming up next year – hold your commissioners accountable when they don’t make decisions in the best interests of the community – VOTE THEM OUT.  The Ben Gamla School is purely a special interest; even if the school board couldn’t see it, we should at least be able to hold out some hope that city commissioners can see through the veil of manipulation.

Hallandale Beach has WAY too much traffic, congestion and other infrastructure issues to deal with without considering the additional burden this school will bring to the neighborhood.  Don’t expect commissioners to look at the facts and make an informed and education decision – contact them and let them know you do not want this school. And if they ignore you, dump them.

As usual, many thanks for forwarding to friends and neighbors.