$18K-25K: That is the tuition fee for Jewish schools in the United States. It is clear that many non-Orthodox Jewish students cannot afford this and are forced to give up on formal Jewish education.
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The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the largest Jewish organization in the United States, and the Diaspora Affairs Ministry are promoting an ambitious program called the Elef Bayit ('1,000 Homes' in Hebrew) Initiative to grant tens of thousands of Jewish kids in North America access to Jewish education.
According to updated data, only 5% of non-Orthodox Jewish children in the U.S. are educated in Jewish schools. This is a concerning reality, in which hundreds of thousands of Jewish children are not receiving meaningful Jewish education because their parents cannot afford it.
As part of the new initiative, a fund of approximately $300 million will be established, which will help subsidize around 30% of the annual tuition fees for each Jewish student, based on their parents' income level. Additionally, the Israeli government will provide scholarships to children of Jewish teachers in Jewish schools, allowing them to study in the institutions where their parents teach. Israel will also assist in various programs for the training of Jewish teachers, coordinated by the Diaspora Affairs MInistry and other organizations. Philanthropic foundations, such as the Maimonides Foundation, the Steinhardt Foundation and others, are expected to be involved in the program as well.
"This is a true revolution. The Elef Bayit Initiative, led by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs in collaboration with the Jewish Federations of North America, is a comprehensive strategic process aimed at strengthening Jewish education quantitatively and qualitatively in North America, as there is no Jewish future without Jewish education," Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said.
First published: 09:30, 07.16.23