I applaud Glenn Drew for calling attention to “The Delusion of Day School Affordability” (Opinion, Oct. 20). We have to disabuse those outside the orbit of the day school world of the notion that parents alone can sustain our schools. They cannot. Our educational institutions constitute a public good that requires support from all precincts. We may care deeply about a given Jewish value, but who will champion that value a generation from now if we fail to provide our children with an excellent Jewish education today?
To highlight the notion that sustaining Jewish day school education is a communal responsibility, The Jewish Center added to its membership dues statement a suggested contribution to support day school education. We distribute the funds annually to the schools attended by the children of our members. Beyond the tens of thousands of dollars we have raised, this initiative keeps our day schools at the forefront of our communal consciousness. If every synagogue in the country adopts this model, we will be well on our way toward a solution to the crisis of day school affordability.
Rabbi, The Jewish Center Manhattan
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