Ohlei Torah is a Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva with students in grades 1 through 12 founded by the late Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. It has never taught any secular subjects. Even so, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is going to honor it. Should he?
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams
A former Ohlei Torah student (who had lots of tutoring in English and other secular subjects after he left Oheli Torah) writes to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams:
Dear Eric,
I received a notice from Ohlei Torah informing me that you will be receiving the Community Service Award from their institution at their upcoming annual dinner. I feel obligated to bring the following information to your attention.
As a graduate of Ohlei Torah, I could attest to the fact that contrary to State and Federal law, Ohlei Torah does not teach their students English, Math, Science, History and Geography. Not only doesn't Ohlei Torah teach their students the basics of math and science, they don't even teach them the English alphabet. As I'm sure you can imagine, without any instruction in the English language, most students of Ohlei Torah will graduate elementary school without even the capacity to read English. This unlawful situation has been going on for the past 50 years.
A number of years ago, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani also received an award from Ohlei Torah. In his acceptance speech, he praised the school for their high level of instruction in Jewish and secular subjects. Most of the people in attendance laughed to themselves upon hearing this speech, since they knew that the school did not teach any secular subjects whatsoever.
I hope you will take this award opportunity to insist that Ohlei Torah insure that their students are taught, at the minimum, the basics of the English language.
Adams hasn't answered the letter yet.
If you want to contact Adams about his upcoming apperance at a school that pervasively violates New York State law by failing to educate its students in secular subjects, email him at [email protected] .
You can also email Adams chief of staff Sylvia Hamer at [email protected] and his senior advisor Ingrid P Lewis-Martin at [email protected] .