Updated: Video – East Ramapo School Board Tries To Block Videoing Meeting By 'Improperly Placed' Photographer

Attorney Daniel Schwartz, the president of the haredi-controlled East Ramapo School Board, gives a tour de force example of how public officials should not act.

Originally published at 7:52 pm CDT 8-27-2012

 

Update 10:36 pm CDT – Here is Schwartz in May of this year accusing critics of the haredi-controlled school board of antisemitism:

 

Comments

[dh]

Don't taze me bro!

[John Q Public]

Some pertinent background is in order:

1. Schwartz is not Hareidi. He is actually pretty open minded, and could be the kind of person who could successfully lead the district to daylight. Instead of cooperation from the public school community, he was sued.
2. The school district, running on tax revenue of close to $200 Million Dollars provides substandard education to fewer than 9000 pupils. The tax hikes took place in the years prior to the Orthodox takeover of the school board.
3. The protesters, with their Oakland theatrics, are more interested in whining about Schwartz and Co, than educating their own children. They deserve what they get.

[Shmarya]

Please.

Danny Schwartz is a sleazy person and haredim have demonstrably looted the school district.

[MarkfromShortHills]

John Q Public @ 8:51:

Your post is egregiously disingenuous. The Board has systematically looted the public school system and routed to the yeshivas resources that should properly have been used to educate public school students.

The "protesters" are not engaged in theatrics, but are rather documenting proceedings that the Haredi would rather be kept unrecorded.

The Jews who serve on the Ramapo School Board are corrupt scum and a source of shame for any Jew with a conscience.

[Devorah]

John Q Public, the taxpayers will fight you to the end to expose your fraud and embezzlements. Your personal and business accounts are being audited by the State and you will be exposed and hopefully, jailed. Your leader, Dumbass Schwartz, should be the first to go for the shame he has brought to the secular Jews in East Ramapo. How dare to take away sports, college prep courses and full day kindergarten from the students who need it most.

[chussid]

I love how here the law is a bunch of tachbules to outsmart the שוורצא but when it comes to SMR suddenly its a highminded discourse about whats right and wrong. I'm not taking a side. Maybe the law is indeed a bag of tricks to pillage the school district and purely instrumental. Maybe its about bigger questions of justice and mercy. But its definitely not about both! ממה נפשך–– Either SMR can get screwed on a technicality and thats life. Or you need to think whether your school board's use of silly rules which are clearly irrelevant is an example of doing whats right and good.

[Pearl of Wisdom]

John Q Public, Perhaps you should check out the infamous Schwartz Rant on Youtube. Actally, since he is himself a lawyer, he should have to know the law and should have to meet an even higher standard than the rest of the Board.

Emilia White could put together quite a civil rights lawsuit up against this school board. She is constantly harrassed by them, shut up and threatened by them. Best of all, it is all on video. I wonder how much she could get for that lawsuit. I bet that Emilia would donate the proceeds back to the schools...maybe we could get back Marching Band! The Massiah is never coming to ER while these guys are sitting up there...if that is what is expected.
The Board is wrong and they know it. Security is wrong and they know it. The police is wrong and they know it. Soon enough, the whole world will know it!

[Pearl of Wisdom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFOLVKXevKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhVMz94WJAU
More Fun Schwartz video. Racist? Bigot? You decide.Is this man worthy of the title President of the Board?

[Devorah]

"Schwartz is not Hareidi. He is actually pretty open minded, and could be the kind of person who could successfully lead the district to daylight"

Lead like the last Orthodox school board president who was convicted and jailed for mail fraud? How about electing an honest leader for a change? Oh wait, they're either haredi or a step lower and don't know the meaning of honesty.

[Anon]

It's clear by Schwartz's body language alone that he is, quite simply, an arrogant douche bag.

[Anon]

Also,

I'd like to add that what East Ramapo needs is secular Jews like me who know all the Haredi schtick and game playing.

The Haredi mentality is very simple. It's the most base I don't give a fuck mentality there is. They simply do...not...give...a....fuck about anything or anyone apart from their small, closed circle.

[Pearl of Wisdom]

Look at the body language of the board members while Schwartz is having his temper tantrum. They are mortified.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

"3. The protesters, with their Oakland theatrics....."

And you're not a racist, John Q Public?

And why did this ding dong Schwartz even feel the need to bar video taping?

[Gevezener Chusid]

Jews always blame the antisemites for antisemiti.sm. How strange

[jancsibacsi]

Lets not forget lawyers have to carry themselfs with a demeaner that they are superior to the laymen,this is in the nature but of course there is a limit to that also.

[john q public]

Markfrom ShortHills, how about you demonstrate how the board has looted the public school system. I would be eager to say your audit of the school district budget. As for all those ho praise and defend Emelia White, a couple of points: Has Ms. White donated a nickel to the school district to pay for marching bands or kindergartens? If not why hasn't she, or any of the others who show up at board meetings to protest. Videotaping is permitted at these meetings, just check youtube for a full exhibit along with nasty comments by the posters. who do you think is taping Ms. White while she carries on.
The fact is East Ramapo is a horrible school district. The students in the district cannot read read and write, and I base this statement on objective tests. The unhappy parents should be protesting outside the schools and asking teachers why performance is so poor. Instead of turning out to protest the board that has nothing to do with the kids schooling, they should be home helping with homework and encouraging to pick up a book instead of raping 14 year old girls. Blame Schwartz, blame Rothschild,blame whoever you want, it will not help East Ramapo children succeed in this world.

[Lubavitchers are Christians]

I'm just trying to figure out how exactly anyone is banning videotaping in this video. It seems to me that videotaping is allowed at this board meeting, as evidenced by the fact that this entire episode is being videotaped.(And everyone seems to be aware of this video.)

It seems to me that they asked her to go to the side of the room which is reserved for videos. What is wrong with that?

If this is evidence that the Jews of East Ramapo hate blacks, epic fail it is.

[Lubavitchers are Christians]

This guy Schwartz does seem to me to be a pompous ass. He doesn't look haredi to me, but looks can be deceiving.

[john q public]

This will not go over well with Shmarya or anyone else who believes it is a Mitzvah and Torah obligation to vote Democratic, but I give you props for the forum:

East Ramapo is a unique school district. There are approximately double the number of private school students as public school students. While the public schools are entirely funded by tax dollars, the private schools are paid for by parents. There are exceptions, the school district provides busing or transportation allowances for private school students. It also pays for textbooks, special needs students and probably some other minor expenses I have no listed. The school district does this not because it feels a need to reach out to its constituency, it does so because courts have ruled that it must. By law, private school families are entitled to a piece of the school budget. It was not always so. New York has pushed the envelope in creating these categories of permissible funding of religious and private education. But other states have been finding creative ways to thwart the public school monopolies. New Jersey has embraced charter schools, Arizona has created a new structure for funding religious education.

When voters in East Ramapo overwhelmingly elect a school board that supports private school education, it is not a stretch to state that this board is charged with finding ways to provide support to the private religious schools where its constituents send their children and their tuition fees. In this little corner of the world, where 2/3 of the children attend private school, if the board can find a legal way to use 2/3 of the budget for private schools, I thank them and applaud them. It is only just. Why do some kids deserve less than others?

Hopefully, this can happen in East Ramapo and spread. Because ultimately, a market system is the best system. Teachers, their districts and unions are unaccountable to the people ho pay their salaries. And it shows in the education of ALL of the children in this country.

As for the marching band and all day kindergarten, pay for it, Emilia. You'll find much better results than you were getting with the lousy schools in East Ramapo.

[Barry]

These problems have little to do with failure to obey the law. They are more fundamental and relate to a failure in democratic control.

Why do we have local democratic control of public education? Because when it comes to local public education, no one has more skin in the game of public education than the local community.

It did not occur to the framers of local democratic control of education that there could be district in the USA which would have a majority of its electorate so so backward and superstitious as to be hostile to education and that this majority would seek to raid the resources set aside for education.

This failure of the school board is not a cause but a symptom of the lack of social integration of Ultraorthodox in the American way of life which was unimaginable to the framers of the democratic localism. Who in their right mind would imagine that any considerable segment of any district let alone a majority of that district would be against education? That is unimaginable! It is as unimaginable as a respected leader of such a community stating that halacha requires one to die than study science and evolution from teachers and texts that are deniers of Torah and Creation or be influenced by other types of thoughts considered treife or heresy!

When you lack social integration you will get Darwinian conflict with inter group raiding of resources. The only way to avoid such conflict is to encourage integration by forcing Hareidim into education as the first step into social integration with the rest of society.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

Barry, well said. When you see the real travesties out there like this one, it's another reason to just nationalize education and take it out of the hands of irresponsible locals.

john q. pubic, you've got it backwards. Emilia shouldn't have to pay for things that make her children's education better. she sends them to public schools, and she's doing the right and responsible thing by going to board meetings and standing up for public education being hijacked by a band of criminals.
if the parents who send their children to private schools want a marching band (yeah, right) then they are the ones who should pay for it.
what you're basically saying is that "I want to send my kids to private schools which is my right if I'm willing to pay for it; except that I don't want to pay for it."

[Eli, what me messiah?]

"1. Schwartz is not Hareidi."

maybe not. he's clearly a buffoon. even resembles Homer Simpson.

in the picture above, is he looking at a donut?

[Zoobiemanyak]

This entire coven of filthy, fat, flatulent, and flaccid douche bags is an acute embarrassment.

I am sure their "secret" executive session was merely an excuse to have a group wank-off session in antcipation for sucking off little boys in the mikvah.

[john q public]

Frankly Barry, it never occurred to the framers that public schools would forbid G-d or prayer in their hallowed walls. This country as settled by religious people I wonder what makes you so certain no one anticipated orthodox school districts.

The East Ramapo budget provides approximately $200 Million dollars to educate approximately 9000 students. Deduct the crumbs going to the private sector (waiting for the audit from Markinshorthills) and you still have an awful lot of money going toward the public schools in East Ramapo. What we all should be asking for is some accountability from those schools. As for Eli, you give the same tired arguments. Emelia gets a marching band. why exactly? Because her kids go to a public school? Because she demands it and has the right? On what basis? There is not enough money to provide education and a SECOND marching band in the district. (There are currently two). It is the board's responsibility to figure out how to make it all work. they are not alone. The entire country is struggling to make ends meet. As for my rights, Eli, I do not have kids in East Ramapo public or private schools, but if I did, I would expect the state and district to provide appropriately for their education. One day, hopefully soon, that will be through vouchers and tax deductions. The Supreme Court is on board. Review their decision and I look forward to you telling me where they are wrong.

[Ray Kaufman]

I am a Monsey resident and am somewhat familiar with the antics of the E. Ramapo school district. Without taking sides in the current dispute, I would point out that videoing is and and has always been permitted at board meetings. Folks who want to record the proceedings are asked to do so from the back of the meeting room so as not to block the view of the proceedings.
The woman involved in this todo stood up in the middle of the room to video. She was asked several times to move to the area provided for videoing at the rear of the room which she vociferously refused to do. She was removed from the meeting for the disturbance she caused. She was later re-admitted to the meeting and resumed videoing, this time from the assigned location, without interference.

[Jonathan]

Shmarya has a personal beef with Schwartz.Nothing ideological about his "interest" in the school board.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

"it never occurred to the framers that public schools would forbid G-d or prayer in their hallowed walls"

jon q public, your statement shows you've never looked at the second amendment to the constitution, prohibiting the establishment of religion, nor any of the Supreme Court decisions over the past century in which the court has consistently ruled that the framers very purposefully DID intend to forbid the teaching of religion in public schools.

in fact, the Supreme Court has taken this to reasonable steps and prohibited schools from teaching other subjects as a means of injecting religions, such as so-called creation science (Edwards v. Aguillard, 1987).

you are right about one thing, if you put your kids in a public school, you should expect the state to provide appropriately for their education. you lose that right by opting into private schools.

[Jonathan]

Not that it matters, but Schwartz is not Hareidy.I went to Skokie Yeshiva with him

[Jewish Cynic]

Sadly "John Q" and his opposition both are essentially correct.

It's a case of "Karma is a B*tch"
For decades Ramapo school boards raised taxes and spending even as the student population shrank due to the greater proportion of ortho.
Taxpayers saw school tax dollars spent on such "essentials" as fancy astro-turf sports fields and fancy uniforms while private schools with none of the frills put out more successful students.
Even when budgets were successfully voted down, there were revotes until it passed.
Public school boards, administrators and teachers felt entitled to suck taxpayers dry and reward themselves with the proceeds.

So now things reached the point where haredi were able to organize and replace a slovenly, corrupt board with their own slovenly corrupt board.

The joos vs the goys. Bigotry and other disgusting behavior on both sides.
And educating the kids is forgotten.

Truth is district spending has to be controlled. And it can be controlled while still providing education. Would be nice if the voters, including ortho recognize this board is another bunch of thieves and it's time to try again.

[Barry]

John Q Public. Then why did these religious folk who settled this country not create a theocracy?

It was always understood that the political and educational system in an ethnically diverse country can only work if it is non-sectarian, otherwise as East Ramapo shows, it is inevitable there will be inter communal conflict about resources.

Hendrik Verwoerd, as Minister of Native Affairs when framing the Bantu Education Act of 1953 argued :

"There is no place for [the Bantu] in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour ... What is the use of teaching the Bantu child mathematics when it cannot use it in practice?"

Such an argument may find favor with parents in Kiryas Yoel for keeping their own children in ignorance, but will not find favor with Ramapo minority parents for their children.

If you have no skin in the game, then you have no business telling those who have how to behave!

[God is not amused]

The cop is WRONG he should inform the "board" that she is NOT committing any "CRIME." That is his only job to enforce the rule of LAW, not to be a bully pulpit for some "petty bureaucrat." "Designated area?" she is not obstructing anything. There need not be "designated areas." Oh, he didn't get his way and so he is psychologically beating them down by pulling out the "race card." OH, THE JEWISH GUILT TRIP.
That is right, Scwartz, YOU don't have a say in public schools if you have any children in there.
The biggest racist are them!! they don't send their children to public school to intergrate! They don't live in an intergrated community.
Ah, yeah spout that "religiosity" that will take up the time from scrutiny of what your left, hand is doing from your right one.
As for looting the system. NO DOUBT. One has only to go down the road to Kiryas Joel to see that PUBLIC MONEY supports KJ school system with not ONE gentile attending, so in essence it is a parochial school, paid with tax $$$$. How did Mayor David Weider et al of Kiryas Joel manage this scam? Simple, they designated EVERYONE of the 250+ children attending as "special needs" children. In other words all of the kids are imbeciles, slow, dysfunctional retards. Now if that is true, would it not stand to reason that KJ would bring in a specialist to see WHAT GENETIC dysfunctions is occurring and STOP THE BREEDING!!! the breeding that has doubled KJ population in ten years from 7k-23K.
THEY ARE LIVING A LIE THAT IS SCAMMING THE COMMUNITY RESCOURCES, living off of them like ticks on a dog. The community knows this and when they voice this, the race card is pulled, to shut them up.
Righteous JEWS need to stand up for EVERYONE and remove the criminals from the system.
Again thanks, Shmarya for shinning a light and exposing, the corruption. JEWS need to get proactive and stop the criminals within the "tribe,"
so that "anti-semitism" IS NOT actualized. Which is exactly what is occuring, because of a handful of these criminals who unfortunately happen to be, Jews.

[Devorah]

According to the second video, Schwartz wants to implement an antisemitism and racism course from kindergarten to 12th grade that is mandatory for all students, yet he cut foreign languages and many college prep courses. Isn't this in itself racist? He says if only to keep kindergarten this course should be started. Is that a valid reason to send a kid to kindergarten?

[Jonathan]

Hey, you bigot and kappo antisemite!
Kiryas Joel has about ten thousand (or more) kids at school age.250 kids with special needs is not avery high number.
You would make Hitler proud.

[Jonathan]

And the are not "scamming" anyone.Theit kids have the same rights as anyone else.
Actually in KJ chose to send all their kids to public school, it would cost many millions, so they are saving the county and state a lot of money.

[Shmarya]

Shmarya has a personal beef with Schwartz.Nothing ideological about his "interest" in the school board.

Posted by: Jonathan | August 28, 2012 at 10:24 AM

Idiot.

I've been covering the East Ramapo school board for several years.

Danny Schwartz wasn't elected to that school board until a few months ago.

Actually in KJ chose to send all their kids to public school, it would cost many millions, so they are saving the county and state a lot of money.

Posted by: Jonathan | August 28, 2012 at 10:51 AM

That is false.

[Lubavitchers are Christians]

That is false.

Posted by: Shmarya | August 28, 2012 at 11:01 AM

What is false? Unless you're referring to something else, the Orthodox are definitely saving us millions by educating their kids in their own schools and paying for it themselves.

[God is not amused]

JohnQ/I love the way you minimized the exceptions. Those exceptions happen to be a HUGE chunk of school budgets.

There are exceptions, the school district provides busing or transportation allowances for private school students. It also pays for textbooks, special needs students and probably some other minor expenses I have no listed. The school district does this not because it feels a need to reach out to its constituency, it does so because courts have ruled that it must. By law, private school families are entitled to a piece of the school budget...........

BY LAW..who brought that lawsuit about? To get taxpayers to fund "parochial schools"...none other than Kiryas joel et al. Szegedin? who mastered the art of scamming the taxpayer into supporting the WHOLE COMMUNITY.

But, I digress. Buses=very expensive Gas= very expensive Books= very expensive WHAT WOULD BE THOSE MINOR EXPENSES that you did not mention? I will tell you. Monroe-Woodbury(KJ is part of)......was audited. 13MILLION was found in three different bank accounts aka SLUSH FUND. Why THREE different accounts? at some point one account was going to disappear into someones pocket no doubt with the other intact to show Slush/General fund on hand.

Jon/what happened pushed the right button did I? 10K or more 90% of LISTED as being in poverty(are you proud of that?)..........are they in private school paid for by their parents??? is that what you are trying to imply? If so HOW ARE THEY PAYING PRIVATE SCHOOL IF 70% of KJ is on welfare?
No,actually KJ makes Hitler proud. They are causing anti-semitism in a big way that rivals Hitler by ACTUALIZING Goebbels lies. Majority of Jews in NYS ARE taxpayers and hold down jobs. ONLY the minority Haredi are acting in a manner that make Goebbels propaganda true. Example: dirty=true/clannish bigots=true/money grabbing selfish=true
Jon PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG and tell me what Kiryas Joels citizens bring to the community table. THAT BENEFITS JEWS AND GENTILES ALIKE.

[Wigmore]

What was the supposed legal justification for saying video could only be taken from a specific point in the room? Apart from that, what was the motive behind that "rule?" Was the "designated area" in such a location as to make audio and video recording difficult?

[God is not amused]

ooops, 10K CHILDREN of KJ of whom 90% are statistically reported as being in poverty....is what I meant to say. NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.
Making children you cannot feed, IS A DISGRACE and a SIN.

[jancsibacsi]

Lubavitchers are Christians-Frm youre writing i can see youre 100 per cent american,as as famous writer wrote, a 100 per cent american is 90 per cent moron.

[jancsibacsi]

Jonathan -Keep on deluding youreself until youre last days youre an absolute fool i am not even talking about ky here in bp just one block out of hundreds collects sec.8 food stamps vouchers etc.just one block amounting in a year to 100 million there are hundreds of block in each over 90 per cent collect sec.8 food stamps figure it out and you say they save the city money are you insane or what.

[RDS]

Mr. Schwartz is the Martin Luther King of E. Ramapo. His eloquence is only outdone by his brilliance. Shame on you for trying to shame a future leader of the Jewish Nation. You are the Wolf and he is the Lamb.

[Devorah]

Mrs. Schwartz, future leaders of the Jewish Nation know when to shut up. And please encourage him to brush his teeth thoroughly since he generally has food sticking to his teeth.

[Devorah]

" Instead of taking responsibility for the fiscal situation, Board President, Daniel Schwartz proposed an alternative, “Get rid of graduations. It’s a superfluous expense.”

http://www.advocatesforjustice.net/press-release-east-ramapo-parents-and-community-members-demand-removal-of-local-school-board/

[Ray Kaufman]

Wigmore, the "designated area" is at the back of the board room, so video equipment and folks standing to video won't obstruct or interfere with the other attendees. There is no law requiring video taking from the designated area only. There are, however laws against creating a public nuisance and disturbing the peace. The woman was asked politely several times to please move to the rear of the room if she wanted to record the proceedings. She chose to make a loud issue of it. As noted above, she was re-admitted and was able to continue recording from the "designated area" without any interferance. Schwartz and the rest of the board may or may not be scumbags, but they were on the right side o this issue.

[Lubavitchers are Christians]

Lubavitchers are Christians-Frm youre writing i can see youre 100 per cent american,as as famous writer wrote, a 100 per cent american is 90 per cent moron.

Posted by: jancsibacsi | August 28, 2012 at 11:22 AM

Thanks jancs. I hope you can explain to me what I said that makes me moronic.

If you believe that I am mornic because I am 100% American, well, I am proud to be 100% American, whatever the ramifications.

You are Hungarian. Does that make you 100% moronic?

:)

[Eli, what me messiah?]

what Schwartz was REALLY thinking during the exchange with Emilia White:

"donuts! doooooonuuuuuuts!!!! ooh, I see a donut. Come here little donut."

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Wigmore, here is the article:

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012308230062&nclick_check=1

[RDS]

I think that instead of mandatory classes in antisemitism the children in E. Ramapo should be required to learn the laws of Kashrus and Shabbos so they're prepared to be maids nannys and groundskeepers for the real taxpayers of the district because they're not equipped to do anything else.

[Devorah]

That's because your husband has cut so much of the curriculum, teachers, books, hours and security to funnel the money into your kids' Yeshivas.

[yehudis]

I would like to know if there are any school districts in the area that spend as much as East Ramampo does on attorneys fees. Any districts that pay their attys $125 an hour to travel to the District? Any attys located 1 1/2 hrs from the district they are hired to represent? Are there any districts in NYS that send special ed students to New Hampshire at a cost of 1/4 million per student? The Bd recently voted to send a student to Crotched Mountain and that is a conservative figure of what it will cost.
They voted to hire a lawyer to defend them against a lawsuit that charges $700.00 per hour. Where does this money come from? They cut public school staff and cut public school programs.

[dh]

RDS cannot possibly be his spouse. Are you certain Devorah? It's too perfect.

[Babs]

I was there the whole time....Emelia White stood berry ground and eexercised her right as a taxpayers. She never moved to any designated area. The police did not arrest her because there was no cause to. The sorry excuse for a board president wanted to exercise powers he didn't have by trying to have her arrested. Unfortunatly, he did not have those officers on his payroll and he did not succeed. They are truly disgusting and should be ashamed of themselves.

[Barry]

He has a remarkable resemblance to Yogi Bear. He may think that he is 'smarter than the average bear', but like Yogi, he over estimates his own intelligence.

[RDS]

dh,
I assure you I am not his spouse. I know the fact that I'm a man isn't conclusive of that in this day and age but I'm heterosexual and happuily married. Sorry Devorah.

[Wigmore]

WoolSilkCotton, thank you for the link. Unfortunately, I cannot display the article on two different browsers even if I accept the cookies. Lohud has a rather strange website.

Ray Kaufman, I have no horse in this race. Based on what is posted here, however, your analysis is incorrect. Neither "public nuisance" nor "disturbing the peace" are crimes in the State of New York. Perhaps you are thinking of Disorderly Conduct. If that is so, there is nothing I have seen in the video that fits the definition of that crime.

[Dov]

"Danny Schwartz is a sleazy person and haredim have demonstrably looted the school district."

His comments on Maryles's site are usually spot-on. And he's certainly no charedei.