Over the past few months, several educators involved in One-Year Israel Programs that educate students from the Diaspora have approached members of the ATID faculty to raise issues about the world of yeshivot and seminaries. After asking those educators to put pen to paper and articulate their concerns, we received two short essays, one on a proclaimed decline in the rigor of the education and the other on the deplorable employment conditions of staff. One need not agree with each and every one of their concerns to agree that the issues are worth discussing seriously.

Normally, we are utterly opposed to anonymous writing, particularly when criticizing others. If one has something critical to say, one should stand by it openly. This case, we believe, is an exception, since publicizing the authorsג€™ names could hurt their job prospects.

The Economics of the Year-in-Israel Job Market by Rabbi Dani Goldstein

The Closing of the One-Year-Program Mind

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the thought of ATID. They are presented here out of a conviction that compelling ideas, frankly stated, are an important element in engaging the community of Jewish educators in critical thought about our holy work.