Day schools are a powerful tool in ensuring lifelong commitment to Judaism, but the number of non-Orthodox Jews enrolling their children in such schools has been in steep decline. To reverse the current trend, argues Liel Leibovitz, some things will have to change:
Let’s begin with the lowest hanging fruit, Jewish foundations and philanthropists who, while talking so brave and so sweet about Jewish continuity and other buzzwords, have failed to provide the basic infrastructure for Jewish education to thrive. . . . [N]ot a single Jewish federation—organizations whose only raison d’être should be answering challenges like this one—has made education a serious priority.
The fault is also, finally, ours. Many of us non-Orthodox Jews can’t afford the exorbitant cost of Jewish education. Many more prefer more cosmopolitan, multifaceted educational environments. That’s perfectly understandable. Others, however, are in a position to pledge their resources and make Jewish education a priority and yet choose to limit their engagement with Jewish life to vague laments about the disappearance of liberal Judaism and mild nostalgia for its glory days. That’s a shame. If we realign our commitments and our budgets, we can change the numbers on Jewish education and, with it, just about every other statistic we deem vital to the preservation and prosperity of a robust and diverse Jewish community.
Read more on Tablet: http://tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/186973/pay-for-day-school