Page 2-The Canadian'Jewish News,Thursday, December 16,1993
Witty ties accessibility to funding
By BEN ROSE
TORONTO —Facing "significant increases' ' in deficits already amounting to "millions of dollars" in the. next few years, the Toronto Board of Jewish Education may have to drop its policy of admitting students whose parents cannot pay the full fee, its executive director said recently.
Rabbi Irwin Witty said it is unrealistic to expect the Board's affiliated schools to keep increasing their bank loans and calling on parents for even more fundraising efforts.
"I hope I'm dead wrong but I don't know how long the schools can dip into their revenues," he said.
Jewish education is big business. Rabbi Witty said, pointing out that the Board's 9,662 students in greater Toronto require a budget of $55 to $60 million a year, with $42 to $47 million from tuition fees and $6:5 million from the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto.
If the community wants to continue the position that no student should be denied a Jewish education, then it will have to come to grips with the problem and provide more money, he said.
Later. Rabbi Witty said it was "scandalous" that the Ontario government has refused to give any funding to the Jewish schools. He also said fears that the public school system would fall apart as a result are '-'unadulterated poppycock."
"We know we're not going to get funding from an NDP govei"nment," he said. "Premier Bob Rae has conceded there is an element of unfairness but he said he won't do it.'.' .If the Board loses its case for funding before the Ontario Court of Appeal.: it win appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, he said. . '
Rabbi Witty spoke at a meeting sponsored by the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University. Beth Tzedec Synagogue and the Institute Ibr Jewish Learning of the JCC,on Educating the Jewish Child: Where. How and Why?
Another panelist, Prof. Arthur Kruger. dean of Ontario Institute for Studies, in Education, said a proper Jewish education requires the student
to follow through to a Jewish high school. "Cutting off a Jewish education at age 13 means that the student has a child's view of Judaism and an adult view of western culture, since 85 to 90 per cent of day school graduates go on to post-secondary education, "said Kruger, (Rabbi Witty earlier noted that only l,390of the 9,662 day school total are in Jewish high schools.)
Though a product of the public school system himself, Kruger said when he was head of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto, he found that graduates of CHAT (Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto) had the best marks. Study habits of graduates of Jewish day schools were excellent, he said.
More that 50 per cent of Jewish children in North York attend public schools, said fellow paiielist Elsa Chandler, chair of the North York Board of Education.
The public schools should not be expected to do the work of the family and synagogues in imparting Jewish values to the child, she said.
A question about whether teachers in Jewish day schools are properly trained to''nurture" children brought a response from Kruger that diere are not enough highly-trained Jewish studies teachers. "A significant number of schools depend on Israeli teachers and they are superb after a year, during which they are not so superb," he said.
"There is a great deal of nurturing in pur schools." said Rabbi Witty. "Whether it is a child-centered school depends on the teacher. The school boards are extremely sensitive to the kind of teachers they hire and there is more training than before.: In the main, the teachers, are doing a terrific job. "
Chandler said she found it difficult . to say whether the supplementary, or after-school Jewish classes, in which 6.094 children are enrolled, are doing a worthwhile job: "I believe most children do benefit but many feel burdened down as the classes compete with other activities." \
Kruger said it takes five years of the supplementary clas.ses to equal one year of day school. ''If anyone is .serious
aix)ut transmitting Jewish values, a day school and then a high school is necessary."
In response to anbdier question, Rabbi witty said he was "fascinated" by
the fact that most of the parent-professionals who send their children to day schools did not attend day schools themselves. "Apparently they feel a need for Jewish literacy and it
implies a dissatisfaction with part-time Jewish education."
Jay Levine, chair of the Hebrew University's Is.sues and Insights Program, was moderator.
THE FIRST CANDLE
North York Goiirtcillor Mike Feldman lit the first candle at Mel Lastman Square at a ceremony spoinsored by the Jewish Russian Community Centre. Greetings were brought by MPPs Monte Kw inter and Charles Harnick, MPs Jim Peterson and Sarkis Assadourian, Israeli Consul General DrorZeigerman, .school board repre.sentative Mae Waese and Rabbi Yoseph Zaitrman. [JefT Rosen ph
By RON CSILLAG
TORONTO - Jewish Family & Child Service (JF&GS).is launching a campaign to sensitize the Jewish community to physical punishment of children. ' "
. The agency will distribute up-to 4.000 copies of a position paper that states in no uncertain terms that physical punishment is harmful to any child's development,
The 21-page booklet, to be mailed to clients and distributed through synagogues and other agencies, notes that the real figure of child abuse in Canada is believed to be much higher-than the official tally of one in six children, because of under-reporting and lack of recognition of the problem.
The study stresses that the Jewish community is not exempt from inci-
.dents of child abuse, despite denial and the best intentions of parents.
And child abuse is "contrary" to Jewish values, it adds.
Nearly a year in the making, the paper lays its philosophy out bluntly. "We strongly believe, notwith-.standing Jewish values and heritage, [that] all forms of physical violence, including physical punishment, are harmful and unacceptable," it says:
Effectivediscipline. it argues, can be achieved without physical punishment. ; -
Communal and religious leader^ ship, coupled with public education, are essential elements in preventing child abuse. ■
The study argues the fbllowing: • all corporal punishment of children is harmful and inappropriate. Any physical assault on a child is unacceptable.
• children have the same basic rights as adults, including the right to special protection and freedom from all forms of violence and abuse. JF&CS is "committed" to promoting and protecting children's rights under the United Nations" Convention on the Rights of the Child and other laws.
• corpora! punishment must be prohibited in air education systems.
• JF&CS does not permit physical punishment as a method of discipline for any child placed in its care and indeed, has a legal duty to offer protection to those children who. need it.
Some of the Jewish community's values and beliefs, can become obstacles to recognizing child abuse, including: : ;
• the concept of shalombayit (peace in the home) above all else;
[Cont'd, on page 26]
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