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Shabbos Kodesh19 Kislev 578112/5/2020

Report
In light of fresh State letters to a number of mosdos:

Klal Yisroel cries out with determination and will make clear to the government:

We will not agree to any compromises regarding the pure chinuch!
"The chinuch of our children belongs solely to our rabbonim and not to any government agencies; we will change nothing from 20 years ago"
The coming days are very critical for the chareidi community in New York, after the State government sent a "questionnaire" with about 100 questions to be answered to a number of mosdos in New York City, which seeks to creep deep inside the heart of the holy mosdos with the aim of opening the door to full government interference in the pure chinuch of our dear holy children, may Hashem protect us.


The clear position of the chareidi community: We are changing nothing
New York Jewry now stands at a critical turning point, as in the coming days it will finally become clear how further negotiations with the government will proceed, and the chareidi community cries out with a fiery voice: We must, and will, make clear to the government that the pure chinuch is the apple of our eye, and no one will touch it! Everything that has been good until today will also be good from now on. We possess the best educational system, and there is no need whatsoever for any government interference.

The upright, devout public in New York is not prepared to agree to any compromises. Although there are outside, foreign elements who for several years now have been seeking to adopt a course of "trying to get by," it becomes ever clearer that the overwhelming majority, in numbers and in stature, of New York Jewry and its leaders are firmly resolved to make clear to the government from the very first minute that we are not prepared for negotiations, we do not want to hear of any compromises, but rather everything should remain as it was and continue in the same manner as until now.


A look at the past - the purpose of the "Felder law": no change whatsoever in the mosdos!
During the discussions surrounding the topic, the past was also raised, how an attempt was made to save the chinuch through the famous "Felder law," which was carried out on Leil Shimurim of Pesach 5778 by the heroic Orthodox senator R' Simcha Felder, may he live, under the guidance of the commander of Hashem's army, the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a. Now, as we cry out to the government that "we are changing nothing," there are those who look back and ask whether this is something of a change from before, since that law did contain several "subjects," and if so, perhaps it had a side effect of "showing" the government a willingness for a change in the mosdos.

All the askanim who accompanied this, longtime quiet askanim with years of expertise in the law, show very clearly, however, that on the contrary, the devout mosdos then, just like now, never, Heaven forbid, gave any statement or explanation that "we are prepared to 'change' anything!" Such a thing never happened with the devout askanim. What our legal representatives wanted to put into the "law" was clearly aimed at the same clear purpose, that "nothing" should be altered in the order and content of the curriculum! And that it should be possible to fulfill the requirements legally only with the subjects that were already being taught in previous years - as established by the gedolei Yisroel of the previous generation, and especially by the Satmar Rebbe, the Divrei Yoel zt"l, who established the pure chinuch here in America, and by whose word everything is decided - but nothing more will be added.

Had that law been fully approved according to the original plan, it would have been the ultimate salvation to free all the mosdos haTorah in New York from the anticipated decree on chinuch, and even the amended version could have been used to save New York Jewry from its persecutors - and that is indeed why in those days it was welcomed by the "entire" chareidi community in New York, from all segments and circles, who saw in the law a tremendous achievement and expressed warm and heartfelt thanks to the heroic Senator R' Simcha, may he live, for standing firm in defense of the pure chinuch.
Unfortunately, however, there were then certain liberal elements who at the very last minute made several changes that considerably twisted the original purpose of the Felder law, and enabled it to be interpreted "in two ways," both "for the better," in that it would remove the then-existing legal "equivalency" problem, and "for the worse," in that it would not remove from the original law the requirement that every institution must, Heaven forbid, be equal to the public schools.

In practice, although the law in essence provided the State government a way down from the tree, to stop at those subjects and not carry out the harsh and bitter decree, unfortunately the wicked were like a stormy sea, and the informers found a attentive ear with the previous State Education Commissioner, Ms. Elia, and she did decide to take the shameful path and carry out the original harsh and bitter decree, which threatens tens of thousands of children across the length and breadth of New York.

And here it must be emphasized that she did this even though for several years already others had been trying to tell the government - as if on behalf of certain mosdos - that "we are improving, we are already changing the books, and we are going to change the hours too, etc.," it accomplished nothing! Rather, it perhaps even opened the door so that the commissioner would see there was a chance of succeeding with the bitter decree, may Hashem protect us.

But as stated, all this is only to clarify the facts of the past for whomever it concerns. In practice, where things stand now, the original decree has been carried out, and "for the present they have come" — all the gedolei Yisroel who are repeating our clear position that we are making no changes.



Even after the bitter decree was carried out: Heaven forbid to say "we are going to change"!
Now, as we stand in a time of war, the chareidi community must continue to present a united front and declare with passion and a clear, unambiguous voice: No compromises will be made, and the tens of thousands of chareidi parents will not allow the government to interfere and dictate the chinuch of our children!

The gedolei Yisroel stand very firm in their course, that to tell the government "we are changing, we are going to change even more" is a terrible mistake, and the united course will be only one: the mosdos change nothing! We never agreed to change our status, and we will continue to change nothing. Our chinuch is the best there can be, the nations of the world can come learn from us... not, Heaven forbid, the other way around!

Last year it was already seen that when the chareidi community showed a firm, united front and managed to reach an incredible 140,000 petitions against the previous version of the shameful regulation, the government broke, and now it is incumbent upon us to continue showing strength and unyieldingness. And in the merit of remaining faithful to the ways of our forefathers and rabbonim, and with a united strength of the public, we will merit, with Hashem's name, "we will do and we will succeed, and every weapon formed against you shall not prosper"!