As New York State continues on its push to control Yeshiva education, it is good to be reminded of the different attitude of Mayor Eric Adams. Last March, Mayor Adams toured a Brooklyn yeshiva that was the subject of criticism by full-time yeshiva critics. Mayor Adams came away with a different, positive impression. “I was really impressed by what I saw,” Adams said in an interview with The Forward. “These children are expanding their knowledge and not being limited in their knowledge.” Adams compared the visit to another meeting he recently had with African-American teachers and students who felt that Anglo-Saxon standards did not give Black children the opportunity to identify with curriculum material that lacks cultural relevance for their community. “The fight that the Jewish community is having is no different than the fight that the African-American and the Hispanic communities have. We must fight to change how we evaluate schools and understand the importance of culture and religion in school.” “Albany needs to enter a re-evaluation phase on what the cultural norms are in culturally sensitive education,” he said. Those who haven’t yet contacted the State Education Department to express their opposition to their proposed regulations can do so here: https://voice.agudah.org/ https://www.torahumesorah.org/ There are only a few days left, so please act now.

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