The last we heard from the Hebrew Language Academy (HLA) Charter School, they withdrew their proposal to move into Marine Park Junior High School in the face of riotous opposition. Now the school is raising eyebrows among the secular with their latest announcement: HLA is cohabitating with a Kings Highway yeshiva.
From the New York Post:
HLA, which is a public school receiving tax dollars as well as private funding, is operating on the first floor of Yeshiva Rambam, 3340 Kings Highway.
Critics say the space-sharing arrangement gives the appearance that HLA is blurring the line between church and state.
“I think that it kind of muddies the water on their original intent,” said Christopher Spinelli, president of District 22’s Community Education Council (CEC), which represents Mill Basin, Bergen Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and parts of Midwood, Flatbush and Sheepshead Bay.
“It definitely detracts from the fact of it being a non-religious school,” Spinelli added. “To house it in a religious facility raises valid questions from people who are concerned about church, state issues.”
Read the full article here.
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Frankly, I think any school with any sort of tie to a religious institution, in name or otherwise shouldn’t get one red cent in tax money.
Separation of Church and State, PERIOD. Churches and Synagogues and Mosques shouldn’t get Tax Exemption either.
Do you know that there are less than ten speakers of Manx left in the world? The Manx language will soon be extinct unless we do something about it. I hereby propose a Manx Academy, for the study of the Manx language and culture. Full particulars to come later.
Arthur,
I am surprised how people frequently quote “separation of church and state” without knowing what it actually means. In US constitution it refers to “establishment clause” and the “free exercise clause”. The state is not allowed to establish a religion or favor anyone religion. In terms of US Constitution, separation of church and state was early addressed by Thomas Jefferson and he was clearly for funding religious institutions.
Subsidizing a Jewish school in a Jewish neighborhood that welcomes ANY students clearly does not infringe on separation of church and state.
Isn’t it curious though that the admission lottery and the picking of the students who are privileged enough to go to the school was not widely advertised. The school might have had a wide open meeting where we could all witness the pulling of the names from the hat, so to speak.
Alex,
I’m quite aware of the origins of separation of church and state and what it refers to. I get that the original intent was, as you mention.
But, just like anything else in that great document, its open to interpretation and it’s meant to be a living and breathing document.
My opinion, is that the only way for a government to best serve the people is if it was 100% secular. We should not have “In God We Trust” on our money. People should not be sworn in on the bible in court, but on a copy of the Constitution. The government shouldn’t give one red cent to any institution that has ties to any religion what so ever.
Part of the reason out government is as corrupt and twisted as it is can be attributed to religious influence and interference.
Not only should the state not establish or favor any one religion they shouldn’t support any religious institution either. Can anyone really claim that our government DOESN’t favor a single religion?
If I tried to start a “Church of Jedi” or “Church of Atheism” or “Synagogue of the Blessed Mary Jane” and tried to apply for a tax exemption I’d be ignored or laughed at, at best, or at worst tossed in jail for fraud and tax evasion.
Arthur by definition atheism is a belief that there is no diety. If you were to hypothetically open a church of atheism, what exactly would that church worship? As far tax subsidy to religious institutions, it makes plenty of socialogical and business sense for the government. The services that these institutions offer are offered at a fraction of what government spend on similar social services.
Faith is faith. My faith in a lack of diety doesn’t make it any less valid then some crazy wacko’s faith that there’s a man in the sky sending people to hell for getting laid before marriage or marrying the same sex.
A Church of Athiesm would theoretically worship science :-p. I guess I could open a Church based on the Jedi Code like in England, they actually recognize the Jedi Church there!
These so called institutions are black holes that suck away peoples money to build temples and provide housing for Priests and Nuns and Rabbi’s and Imams. It’s a waste of real estate and a waste of taxes we’d otherwise make. If a religious institution wants to do something charitable or otherwise run a charitable event they should can open charities with their own accountants and bank accounts to be tax exempt with no transfer of money between the two.
Something tells me that the “crazy wackos” you speak of are having faith that the “man in the sky” would hopefully NOT send them to hell for the aforementioned.
In practice religious denominations get all sorts of help from governments. Exemption from taxes is one example. Oh sure, churches are in theory “not for profit”. But go check the records and see who the biggest property owners in NYC are. Trinity Church is one. All that income that could be useful right now
The separation clause of the 1st amendment merely prevents the Federal government from endorsing or favoring one religious organization or another. It does not preclude the possibility of an interaction involving the state and a religious entity provided that activity doesn’t give an unfair advantage to that organization or create the impression of an endorsement of their belief system.
[...] Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, which recently announced its new digs below a yeshiva, has sparked yet another controversy – this time involving a synagogue that [...]
The point is that our tax dollars should be used to benefit society as a whole and not single out a specific group who would use those funds disproportionately to benefit their own people or community.