By the Grace of G-d
4th Day of Chanukah, 5715
Brooklyn, N.Y.
...(2) It is also self-evident that one of the main purposes of the Yeshiva is to prepare the Jewish child for life in an environment in which Jews form a minority. Jews have always been 'the smallest among the nations,' but our strength does not lie in numbers. It is the Jewish destiny to be 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' Living according to our holy Torah - Torath Chayyim, the Law of our Life - adhering to and practicing the high standards of our Mitzvoth in our every-day life, has made us 'different,' but herein lies our strength, and this is what has preserved us through the ages. This Jewish consciousness and rightful pride in our destiny has to be implanted in our children from their earliest formative years and the vital importance of it cannot be overemphasized. The fact that we live here in a democratic country, with a full measure of freedom, makes such Jewish consciousness even more imperative, for being a small percentage of the total population, the forces of assimilation assert themselves more strongly than elsewhere. It is the duty of the Yeshiva to remove from the child any vestige of inferiority complex about his Jewishness in a predominately non-Jewish environment, until he grows up to understand that democracy and freedom are not a cauldron of assimilation, but rather the contrary; they offer the possibility for every one to have his place, enjoy his rights, and live according to his faith 100%, and the opportunity for the Jew to fulfill his life’s destiny. (Incidentally, this is also a better way to win the respect of the gentile neighbor than by attempts to emulate him and invade his privacy, his religions, customs, etc.)
With the above truth in mind, it has been a basic principle in all institutions founded by my father-in-law of saintly memory, and in others to which his influence extended, to set up a system whereby the sacred Jewish subjects are taught in the morning, and the English department in the afternoon. Apart from the fact that the child’s mind is more receptive and retentive in the morning, there is the basic principle of impressing upon the child the order of importance of these two departments, namely that the Torah and Jewish way of life come first and foremost. Only in this way could he be brought up to properly appreciate his great Jewish heritage, and with pride and fortitude face any challenge he may encounter as a Jew.
It is therefore very painful to learn that the Yeshivah of New Haven has disregarded this vital principle, and that in certain classes, at any rate, the order has been reversed.
