New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-26
Saw Education Board En-
ploys Boys of Sixteen
as Instructors
Claims Press Support
Union Declares Ii Will Not
Yield Till System Is
Altered

The Hebrew teachers of New York
| City, who went out on strike last Tues
day, are fighting not only for higher
salaries and improved working condi-
tions, but also for radical changes in
the educational methods employed by
the Kehillah's Bureau of Education.
The Kehillah, or Jewish Community
of New York, is an organization dedi-
Gated to various Jewish activities. 1t
is backed by Jacob Schiff and other
prominent Jews. One Of the Rehillah's
chief departments is Bureau of Edu-
cation, headed by DR.. Benderley. 1t is
against this bureaus policies that the
Hebrew teachers of this city are fight
ing.
"The real cause of the strike de
clared Akiba Fleischman, president OF
the Hebrew Teachers Union. "is to be
found in the Kehillah's competition
with the teachers not under its control.
The Kehilah is driving the competent
and experienced teachers out Of the
schools and substituting for them high
school students whose knowledge OF
| Hebrew is limited and who are unit to
be instructors in Jewish culture and
ethics.
BOYS of Sixteen as Instructors
"These immature teachers, many OF
them boys of sixteen and seventeen,
who are known among the members OF
our union as 'knee-pants' instructors,
are put in charge of large classes for
a weekly wage averaging So or 81. This
unprecedented condition is a disgrace
to the great Jewish community of New
York and is the real cause of the pres
ent strike affecting thousands Of chill
dren and hundreds of teachers.
"There are schools in New York
where as many as two thousand chill
dren study the Hebrew language and
! literature. Hundreds of thousands OF
dollars are yearly expended by the
wealthy Jews on these schools. But
nobody takes the trouble TO look into
the system introduced by the Kehillah's
Bureau of Education in the institutions
of Hebrew learning. This system pro-
vides for about 10 per cent of immature
/ teachers, as against 20 per cent of ca
pable and tried instructors.
1.-THE heads of .he Bureau of Educa-
/ ton claim that some hf The Hebrew
teachers, being immigrants, do not
possess .nough knowledge of the Eng
/ !;sh language 70 b. instructors .
( American children. This excuse, ir-
vented before the wa when immlpra-
ton was heavy. is no lorger justified.
But still it is used by the Kehillah as
a reason in rejecting instructors of
wide Hebrew erudticn and teaching
experience.
Press Champions Cause
/ Gan investigation by the city author
/ tiles would reveal facts that would open
| the eyes of those who refuse to heed
our appeals The Jewish press of this
city is unit in championing our cause.
; A presentation of our case before the
public will suffice to gain US the SYM
pathies of every thinking man and wom-
an in the city.
"The Kehillah is a powerful organ
! ization. We are only a group of poor
men. The Kehillah has the support OF
the Jewish Federation of Charities,
while our schools are mostly supported
by small cultural and nationalistic soci-
cites Physically our union is pigmy
in comparison with the Kehillah. But
spiritually we are incomparably strong
err than the heads of the latter. We
shall fight till the Jewish educational
! trust of this city is forced 10 yield to
our inst demandSp