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September 25, 2009
The state has approved a proposal for a Hebrew-language charter school in East Brunswick.
A Sept. 23 go-ahead by the state Department of Education means The Hatikvah International Hebrew Charter School and seven other charter schools advance to the next level of approval.
“If they want to receive final approval, they must complete a very detailed checklist,” said Kenneth Figgs, manager of the DOE’s charter school office. “For the commissioner to actually grant a charter school application, they must have their teachers in place, their facility in order, and many other different items.”
The school would be the first of its kind in New Jersey, and the nation’s third Hebrew-language charter school after recently launched efforts in Brooklyn and Florida.
Hatikvah’s curriculum would focus on general studies, Hebrew language-immersion, and “Hebrew culture,” and, as a public school, would be prohibited from teaching religion.
Yair Nezaria of East Brunswick, one of its founders, said he expects it to attract a diverse group of students, including non-Jews.
“I took Hebraic studies at Rutgers where they teach modern Hebrew and Jewish history and culture without getting into religion, and there was a nice a diverse group of students in my classes,” said Nezaria, president of a company that sells skin-care products. “It is possible to learn Italian language and culture without becoming Roman Catholic, and it is possible to learn Greek without becoming Greek Orthodox.”
The proposed school is slated to be located in a vacant building on Cornwall Court that had been home to a New York Sports Club. It plans to open in 2010 with 108 students in kindergarten through second grade and add 44 students annually as it gradually goes up to eighth grade, according to Nezaria.
DOE spokeswoman Kathryn Forsyth, joining Figgs on a joint phone interview with NJJN, said the school’s application has to meet all the state’s core curriculum requirements in various subjects to be approved.
Because Hatikvah has chosen to use the International Baccalaureate curriculum model, Forsyth said, the school will be held to “extremely rigorous” standards.
“It is the department’s responsibility to make sure that parents who choose to send their children to a charter school have a quality education experience,” said Forsyth.
Israel’s impact
Start-up money for the school would be provided through federal funding, but once the school is approved by NJ education commissioner Lucille Davy, 90 percent of pupil costs are funded by the local school district on a per student basis.
“By state law, they operate on a budget 10 percent less than other schools,” said Forsyth. “Many of these schools establish foundations for the additional funds.”
Nezaria cited Israel’s importance as an American economic partner and its impact on the global economy as reasons for young people to immerse themselves in modern Hebrew and Israeli secular culture.
“Israel is second to only the U.S. in having the greatest number of companies listed on the NASDAQ exchange,” he said.
NJ charter school students are selected by a lottery of applicants. Nezaria said preference would be given to East Brunswick residents. If the school fails to fill all slots, it would be open to youngsters from surrounding communities.
When the school was first proposed last spring, opponents launched an on-line petition saying Hatikvah would draw students from “the same small applicant pool” as the private Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley in East Brunswick.
“It could impact us, but I really do believe we’re offering something a Hebrew charter school cannot offer,” SSDS board president Neil Weiss said this week. “We integrate Jewish studies with Hebrew language and secular studies. We have been designated a Blue Ribbon school [by the U.S. Department of Education], which is a testament to the education at this school. We’re just going to promote our school and communicate with parents.”
Hebrew without religion
Founders of The Hatikvah International Hebrew Charter School convinced state education officials that its curriculum would not run afoul of the doctrine of separation of church and state. Below, Hatikvah explains its approach to teaching Hebrew without religion:
Can you really teach Hebrew without teaching religion?
Absolutely! Israel has been doing this for many, many years. While many Hebrew curricula in the United States incorporate religion into the study of Hebrew, Hebrew itself is a distinct language, and, like any other foreign language, can be acquired outside the realm of religion. By utilizing authentic Israeli materials, we can provide a partially immersive environment in Hebrew without including religious study. Public high schools around the country, as well as public universities, such as Rutgers, teach Hebrew language and Hebraic studies separate and apart from the study of religion.
Will other Hebrew-related subjects be taught besides Hebrew language?
Yes. We can teach almost any aspect of Hebrew culture — including geography, history, and all that that entails, music, art, dance of the Israeli/Hebrew culture, certain non-religious aspects of certain holidays (holidays like Yom HaShoa or Yom Ha’atzmaut can be studied).
— Source: www.hatikvahcharterschool.com
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