NJ approves Hebrew-language charter school
New Jersey’s Department of Education has approved a proposal for a Hebrew-language charter school in East Brunswick. (Read the news release.)
According to our story on the school proposal in March, founders of the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School said it would focus on language-immersion and would be precluded by law from teaching religion.
A department spokesman said at the time that charter schools can “teach about religion, but you can’t teach religion. You can teach about the language and the history, culture, and religious influence on the language in the public schools, but you can’t inculcate religious beliefs.”
Parents in the area worried, meanwhile, about its impact on the Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley in East Brunswick, a private school that would ostensibly compete for many of the same students. And rabbis and educators said a curriculum “about” the culture from which Hebrew springs would be no substitute for a Jewish education.
Danna Nezaria of E. Brunswick, who is listed by the DOE as the contact person for the charter school, told us in March, ”We are not trying to start a school to hurt anyone or any institution. We want to enhance the educational options in our community.”
She said the school’s curriculum would reflect the local community and its student body would be made up of a variety of ethnicities and religions.
According to the Star-Ledger report on the approval, “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.” In its first year, it will be K-2. According to the report:
Hatikvah, Hebrew for “hope,” will offer “in-depth study of Hebrew and Hebrew culture,” and open in fall 2010 with 108 students from kindergarten through second grade, according to the founders’ application.
Charter schools are independently run but survive on taxpayer funds, provided through the local district on a per pupil basis. Hatikvah would get about $1.3 million a year. Charters are required to offer their services to all students by lottery, must follow state curriculum standards and need state approval to open.
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JustASC is written by Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of the 
September 25th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
We are so pleased and excited about the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School being approved by the State of NJ. This will provide a more inclusive education for our children as well as help to promote better understanding of each other. The greater community needs this very kind of school.
September 25th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I think it’s important to have a school that will cater to students that seek to learn Hebrew and Israeli traditions.
Ilan Lipetz
September 25th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
What a great idea!! The more edcational options in an area the better all surrounding institutions will become.
September 25th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Kudos to Dana and Yair Nezzaria for making a Hebrew language charter school a reality.
September 25th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Hatikvah International Academy Charter School offers the children of East Brunswick a wonderful opportunity to become fluent in a 2nd language and to study under the International Baccalaureate model. As a graduate of the public school system who studied Spanish for 7 years, I wish I had had a chance to learn enough Spanish to be conversant in that language. I don’t care what language the school is teaching – Russian, French, Spanish, Hebrew – it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that these children will get the gift of fluency in a 2nd language. If the school was going to focus on Spanish, would only people of hispanic descent attend? Why should it be any different just because the language chosen is Hebrew? This school is a gift! I hope that the diverse community of East Brunswick will be open enough so that parents of all ethnic backgrounds will at least consider the potential benefits of this educational model for their children.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
What a great a wonderful opportunity. As a parent of two children who attended the Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley in East Brunswick, I was very pleased with the education both my children received, but in these economic times not everyone is lucky enough to be able to afford it, which is reflected in the decreasing enrolment. I also believe that changing demographics is having just as big a negative impact, as well.
Will the Charter School, impact SSDS, clearly yes, but as in business, new business models replace old. And free is tough to beat.
The bottom line is that based on the Federation study, East Brunswick and the surrounding communities ( not including Monroe) has seen a decline in Jewish population in excess of 25% and worse is the decline in young Jewish families over the last several years. Our Jewish institutions are feeling this pain and that pain will worsen as the current population ages out and continues to leave East Brunswick.
Twenty five years ago Brunswick was a magnet for Jewish families, but no more. Its time to make some radical changes and put East Brunswick back on the ‘ Jewish Map” as a place for young Jewish families to move to. A Hebrew Charter School will go a long way in attracting more young families to the community andhelp stem the rapid decline.
Let us welcome it with open arms and now start focusing on making the “Campus for Jewish Life” the next reality.
September 26th, 2009 at 12:23 am
We strongly support the establishment of this charter school – both a public school, and also a Hebrew school. Hatikva – Hebrew for Hope – is the most appropriate name for such institution. Even more so at this particular time in American history, when more educational choices are desperately needed, free of indoctrination of the kids.
And I speak as an educator with over thirty years of experience.
Good luck and may you go from strength to strength
Rachel Bar-Shir
September 26th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
We are so thrilled that Hatikvah International got approved. This is just the kind of forward-thinking, progress and open-mindedness that this community needs. This is truly a mechiah!
September 27th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I believe that a charter school can alleviate the need to pay tuition, which increases every year. Paying tuition for 3 children is a burden on me. Families who want their children to learn Hebrew & Jewish studies but can not afford it, are put in a bad situation. Hatikvah Cahrter school will let certain families be relieved of the financial pressures of paying private school tuition.
Families who feel the need for more intense religious teachings can always send their kids to an after-school program.
I wish the Hatikvah Charter school the best of luck.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
What an exciting venture and asset for the East Brunswick community.
September 30th, 2009 at 7:54 am
What a wonderful addition to an already stellar school system. There is no doubt that children who are multi-lingual will have a tremendous advantage in the new global economy we live in today. Hopefully the creation of this school, which models language immersion, will be a spark to motivate other school systems to offer language immersion programs in the primary grades.
September 30th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
How would a school that teaches Hebrew and Jewish culture could “reflect the local community and its student body would be made up of a variety of ethnicities and religions”, in a town that has 64 languages spoken by public schools students?
September 30th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
The charter is a bad idea.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
A charter school with a focus on second language immersion and the IB curriculum is a wonderful opportunity for the whole community.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:53 am
To open up a Hebrew charter school with taxpayers’ money to attract Jewish community to come to live in EB? This is such a selfish idea with the thinking of their own religous.
March 24th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
We will look back in 5 years and say this was one of the greatest things that happened in New Jersey and East Brunswick. Property values will rise, people will move to east Brunswick fort a quality education, children will thrive in a progressive and challenging educational program and charter schools will be opening all over Jersey replicating Hatikvah. BRAVO!!! to the founders and HUZZAH!!! for choice- no more calcified and uncreative public schools- schools with choice for over-burdened tax-payers. Anyone who against this is still living in the 19th century with inkwells and mathbook tablets.