Letters – Summer 2026

THE COSTS THAT CRUSH

I loved the article “Crushed by the Costs” by Shalom Goodman (winter 2025), especially the way it balanced empathy with accountability. I don’t like when friends complain that they can “barely pay their expenses each month,” as if they are poor, while they pay $4,000 in rent, lease a luxury car, give elaborate mishloach manos, host lavish birthday parties for their children every year, and always have clothes that keep up with the trend. We may all want those extra things, but going into debt over them is a personal choice.

Something worth highlighting is that in our communities, it’s less about how much you make and more about how much you’re given. Baruch Hashem, my husband and I make comfortable salaries. We have friends who make significantly less than we do, but their parents cover tuition; their grandparents buy their children all their clothes; they do not have to pay for Pesach or other chagim because they are taken on programs each year; and they have trust funds in their names. Though they make significantly less than we do, they are likely significantly wealthier than we are, since we do not get help with any of our expenses. We don’t qualify for tuition aid and other forms of assistance due to our technically high salaries, yet we have to live significantly simpler lifestyles than those who receive substantial parental and other help.

Finally, as a school psychologist working with many community families, I am concerned that the difficulty of sustaining financial stability is falling more and more on women, while they are also expected to retain traditional roles (being the homemaker, overseeing the children, preparing for yom tov, et cetera). The scope of women’s mental burdens and responsibilities as a result of financial needs is far beyond what is reasonable, with many describing themselves as “simply trying to survive.” When young women get married nowadays, it is assumed that they will work full time and be the CEO of the household as well; young men are expected to work full time and simply “help” with whatever tasks their wives ask. We need to remember that whatever the financial needs of a household, women are the only ones who struggle through pregnancy, delivery and postpartum recovery, often several times over the years.

As a community, we need to work on ways to make sure that women are not carrying an unequal share of the household burdens if they are being expected to bring home more income.

Anonymous

New York, New York

The article “The Cost of Community,” by Tova Cohen (winter 2025), states that the middle class includes families making “upwards of $250,000 to $300,000” per year. Modern Orthodox Jews are among the most successful groups in America, along with South Asians, and this figure of $300,000 is not unreasonable for the middle class of the Modern Orthodox. Even American Chareidim have a middle class that falls within this range. However, the vast majority of Americans have much lower median incomes. For the country as a whole, the middle class ranges from roughly $60,000 to $170,000 per year for a family. Our families are larger, school tuitions are high, and housing costs in [states with high concentrations of Orthodox Jews such as] New Jersey are among the highest in the country. But it is good to keep in mind that the rich person is the one who rejoices in his portion.

Ken Halperin

Silver Spring, Maryland

GLIMPSES OF CHANGE

In the fascinating section containing the retrospective on Jewish Action over the last forty years (“Forty Years of Change,” winter 2025), Rabbi Avraham Edelstein notes some of the great figures and institutions of the early years of the kiruv movement from the mid-1960s, as well as the people and organizations that dominate the scene today. That short retrospective omitted major figures including Rabbi Abraham Besdin, Rabbi Avraham Stern, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, Rabbi Avi Weiss, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, all of whom brought so many Jews closer to Torah. Institutions such as YU’s Torah Leadership Seminars and the James Striar School for Jewish Studies, Lincoln Square Synagogue and Hineni in Manhattan, the Bayit in Riverdale, and other synagogues throughout the country that transformed the landscape of the Jewish community should be part of any, even cursory, review of the origins of the kiruv movement.

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot

Teaneck, New Jersey

Thank you for including the thoughtful reflections of Dr. Rona Novick and Rabbi Michoel Druin on the changes in Jewish education over the past forty years. I strongly agree with their praise of the shift toward more individualized, student-centered and compassionate educational approaches. Todayʼs teachers have greater access to resources and a deeper understanding of the wide range of studentsʼ needs and experiences. Ultimately, our young people are the beneficiaries of this progress.

At the same time, these reflections highlight how much work remains. Despite the advances described, hundreds of young people continue to drop out of the yeshivah system each year. As an educational advocate with Work At It, my team works closely with these students and their families to help them find opportunities that truly fit them. While traditional, academically focused schools serve many children well, other children possess strengths and talents that lie outside the academic realm. Too often, these students are left to struggle through their formative years before they are given the opportunity to thrive. Creating pathways that keep such children meaningfully connected to the mainstream educational system is essential if we are to claim that there is a place for every child in our community.

There is also a troubling trend that may be, in part, a byproduct of the success of our yeshivah system. Forty years ago, day schools sought to enroll as many Jewish children as possible. Today, in many communities, schools have selective admissions and compete to attract the strongest students. In this climate, children with academic and especially behavioral challenges are too often seen as liabilities. Under the language of doing “what is best for the other children” or “finding a better fit,” schools may quickly reject or remove students. Where once every Jewish child felt actively valued and pursued, many now feel they must earn their place by meeting ever-narrowing standards.

I hope our community will take these concerns seriously and continue moving toward an educational system that truly makes room for every child.

Yaakov Mintz

Educational Advocate, Work At It

Brooklyn, New York

IN THE AGE OF AI

I really enjoyed the newest issue of Jewish Action entitled “Torah in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”; it was excellent!

In regard to AI locating authentic Torah sources, as Rachel Schwartzberg noted in her article (“When Rabbis Meet AI,” spring 2026), AI will often provide completely inaccurate (or even made-up) sources that have no authenticity in any Torah literature. AI is great for tasks such as checking my weekly devar Torah post for typos or spelling errors, translating a word or phrase from a complex Lashon Hakodesh source, explaining abbreviations I may not understand, or refining a shiur title based on my input and suggestions. But with its current capabilities and technology, it cannot be relied upon for Torah sources or searches.

Michal Horowitz

Woodmere, New York