| Cross-Currents

Once again, Agudath Israel (the Haredi organization, not our shul) has taken a nonsensical position on the Emmanuel school issue. Zwiebel reports on a 1925 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that recognized the right of parents to choose their child's school, by upholding their right to send their children to private school instead of mandating that all children be educated in public schools.

Zwiebel argues that

"The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the lower court’s decision and thus enshrined in federal law the right of parents to choose the school setting most appropriate for their children."

The problem with Zwiebel's argument is two-fold:

First, the school in Emmanuel is state-supported. It is not a private school

Second, the issue of racism trumps private education. If, as the Israeli Supreme Court found, the school in Emmanuel was discriminatory, then, even if the school were private, it would be required to address this behavior.

| Note by R' Chaim Dovid Zwiebel