MONTREAL (JTA) – A former Hasidic Jewish couple is suing the Quebec province and school system, claiming the government did not make sure they received a complete education.
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The trial opened Monday in Quebec Superior Court and is expected to last about two weeks.
Yohanan and Shifra Lowen filed the lawsuit five years ago, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. They are not suing for money but are demanding a declaratory judgment to force Quebec to provide more oversight to ensure that children who attend private religious schools learn the provincial curriculum.
“The plaintiffs finished their high school education without knowing about the St. Lawrence River or the theory of evolution,” the summary of their claim reads.
Similar lawsuits have been filed in New York and in Israel, where some reform has been undertaken.
Yohanan Lowen says in the lawsuit that when he finished school at the age of 18 he could barely add or subtract, could not read and write in English or French, and was unprepared to find work, according to the CBC.
Lawyers representing the province and the Tash community on Monday told the court that the problems with the students’ education have been addressed, the Canadian Press reported.
Lowen broke ties a decade ago with Tash, an insular Hasidic sect based in Quebec. He and his wife, whose legal name is Clara Wasserstein, have four children and live in Montreal.
Is this couple Hareidi or Chareidi ?
Are they orthodox Hareidi ?
All the deniers here will call them losers, which they aren’t. They just speak the truth, which others do not.
If they got high marks on their tests and they didn’t know how to read and write, that might be one thing. However, if the school tried to educate them and they were bad students, that’s prob not the schools fault.
This is one of the dangers otd’s present. Blaming others for their own failures in life. Now they are attempting to cause tzaros on the entire tzibbur.
Ungrateful and unappreciative for the religious freedom they and their families grew up with.
Nebech on these losers. Last time I checked, a nice percentage of their classmates are millionaires without having learned to add, subtract, or multiply in Yeshivah. They decided to go a different path, and life didn’t work out how they thought it would. So, you go ahead and claim the system. Get a lice.
Happen to know them. She is a brilliant woman. There is a famous piece in yiddish sung at many gdoilim that she wrote. Thoae are dear neshamois and sorry, but they do have a point.
Lots of Tosher uneducated what they call them are multi millionaires
This is a choice of those parents who want insular education.there are other choices. Their law suit is part of a backlash against the herotage theor parents chose for them and not towards the private chasidish school. Wrong party sued
Certainly it is the duty of the government to ensure children are properly educated.
my kids went to charadi cheders in Jerusalem. They learned how to think and analyze. 3 boys went into various professions. they studied for one year and now make a good parnasa.
Secular education may teach math, science and physics, but also kefer and immorality and certainly not how to think and analyze.
Is it possible to have fair dialogue that represents both sides views? If we had this in place 10 years ago, we wouldn’t be facing this lawsuit now.
Calculator anyone
U still have to love them and go out of your way to take them in to your house as per screw ball Avi Fishof. What a shame that he has an open door by a lot of Rabbes and Rabunim!
For those of you touting all the “millionaires” who succeed despite receiving no education, please stop writing about all the minute exceptions to a basic fundamental fact. The hamon am are not geniuses or natural, ultra savvy, business heads capable of building these empires! Most people who graduate not knowing how to even write a basic check are doomed to go on government programs, make parnassah from illicit means (the jails are unfortunately full of minyanim), or be destitute and dependent on tzedaka when they are young and healthy! It clearly says in halacha a father must teach his son a profession. Who are you to argue otherwise????? Stop bringing the few millionaire exceptions in the community when everyone else is floundering!
I don’t know if this couple is just spiteful, but the reality is that it’s a Shanda that yeshivos are churning out young, able bodied people who are destined to in fall into these situations because their parents and teachers were reckless. Look in the mirror, suck in your ego, and do what’s right. Teach the basics!
Not knowing about the foolish fiction of evolution will not hold back people from becoming wealthy or successful. In fact anyone who believes in this science fiction called evolution is an idiot. Angry tuna bagels are basically losers.
Sorry, everyone in montreal knows where the st laurence river is. Montreal is an island, and in order to go to laval, new york, monsey, Monroe you must go over it. How did they graduate school and barely add and subtract? Hello, some basic rashi’s? That is also not mainstream in any school at all.
He may have needed special ed and not received it, in which case I can’t wait for all the undeserved public school students to start suing.
Politics aside; if the Canadian, US, UK or any government decides it is a requirement that all kids go to school from age 3/4/5 until 16/17/18, then children need to go to a school.
If the requirement is that they must teach Math & English, then the school must do that; and the school should be penalized if it doesnt.
But is there a requirement that the school / government must ensure that all people know certain things? What if the kid is just stupid. You cant force people to know things. Suing does not seem like a correct approach.
Why doesnt he sue his parents for sending him to that school and not the public school?
You cant lead a life trying to blame someone else for everything.
Why don’t they sue the Hasidic sect outside Mtl where the guy comes from? After all, if the sect has so many millionaires like some commenters claim, they should easily be able to afford a settlement.
What is going on is that some extreme sects (and/or their allies/spokespeople), who do not educate adequately, are trying to hide behind the yeshivas who educate their students in an exemplary fashion. They are trying to fool people by lumping different types of yeshivos together. But the yeshiva of a fanatic sect is not the same as that of a responsible institution.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe z”l always said that parnassah comes from Hashem and no matter what one does. He said that children should be learning Torah.
just blaming others for their lack of success .anyone can study a little and pass a g.e.d. even if they had a shoddy education or majored in basketball while in high school.blame blame bleame.just buy a mirror
Quite simple…
Top 20% (80%-100%) will succeed with or without a proper eduction.
Bottom 20% (0%-20) will fail with or without an eduction.
Middle 60% (20%-80%) are materially impacted by the quality of their education.
Ignoring the ad hominem comments…does anyone claim that chareidi yeshiva/seminary education is on par with general educational standards?
I’m not talking about hoshkofa sensitive issues…I’m talking about basic math and writing skills and subjects like elementary national history. One of my children, now approaching middle age, attended a “top” seminary in Brooklyn and graduated with top grades…but from a school with a curriculum completely lacking in all the basics.
Typical loooooosers blaming their loooserness on others. Look inward!!!