School Closure Will Rob Many Children of Golden Opportunity
I was recently shocked to hear that the Toronto Jewish community turned its back on a vitally integral organization. In sheer ignorance, the so-called leaders of the Jewish community have decided that She’arim Hebrew Day School is no longer needed. One can only conclude that the 70 children needing the most educational help are unimportant to our community. I don’t understand how any reasonable, intelligent person cannot see the importance of a school like She’arim, both to its students and the community as a whole. How can anyone decide which children are more important than others? How can anyone say that higher costs of educating learning disabled children justifies sacrificing them just to save a buck? We in Toronto are extremely privileged to live in a community possessing the wealth and resources most don’t. However, we show that the concept ‘along with privilege comes responsibility’ eludes us. When I scrutinize, our community I see ludicrous priorities. I see more emphasis put on providing a place for immigrant minorities to play basketball with Jewish kids than on helping our specific community. Lavishing millions of dollars building community centers and the like is ridiculous considering the financial state of our schools and other charities. Some families in our community are unable to buy food for the holidays, or are financially crippled by tuition requirements, yet we can always find money to support the gentile community. There is always Jewish money supporting museums and cultural events but when it comes to supporting our own weak and needy the support falls short. ...
