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Tikvah Fund, conservative think tank, to open ‘classical’ Jewish day school in New York City

(JTA and New York Jewish Week) — The Tikvah Fund, a Jewish conservative think tank, is launching a Jewish day school that will aim to give students an education that emphasizes “the majesty of Western civilization.” 

Emet Classical Academy, whose name is Hebrew for “truth,” will open next fall on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with a sixth grade and aims to run through high school. It will be led by Rabbi Abraham Unger, a political scientist and former professor who currently leads a Tikvah program for middle schoolers.

An email announcement said the school would be “small and selective.” Tikvah already offers a range of education initiatives inside and outside of existing schools, promoting the same set of values that will drive the school.

The announcement of the school comes at a time when conservatives have taken aim at elite educational institutions — including but not limited to universities. Those critics have accused some universities and public and private schools of teaching children to “hate America” and creating a hostile environment for Jews, in part through diversity and equity programs and instruction about racism in the United States.

Emet’s website says the school will offer a curriculum based on “the perpetuation of Jewish, Zionist, and American exceptionalism.”

“First, we wanted to create a school with very clear founding principles: the pursuit of excellence in every academic and cultural field, the formation of confident Jews and civic-minded Americans, and the preservation of the best of Western civilization,” Tikvah CEO Eric Cohen wrote in an email announcement Tuesday.

“Second, we are living in a moment of great Jewish awakening in America,” he wrote. “Many Jewish families and students feel the weight of Jewish history and American exceptionalism more deeply than ever. We hope that Emet will be an oasis of Jewish excellence that helps renew American culture.”

The school arrives at a time when rising concerns about antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war may be inducing Jewish families to consider schools where their children will not be in the minority. It also comes exactly three years after the Jewish writer and editor Bari Weiss, who has been a leading critic of elite institutions, tweeted a call for a school just like it.

Referring to a college with a curriculum built around the “great books” of Western Civilization and two non-Jewish elite private schools, Weiss tweeted, “If @tikvahfund started a school with a St. John’s style curriculum in NY or LA I think they could charge more than a Dalton or a Harvard-Westlake and still be massively oversubscribed.”

At the time, conservative discontent about education was mounting. Months later, a father of a student at the Heschel School, a prestigious Manhattan Jewish school, went public about pulling his child over “woke” instruction that he said taught her that she held “white privilege.” (The school said he left for financial reasons.)

Emet won’t cost as much as those elite private schools: Its website says tuition for the 2024-2025 school year will be $36,000 — tens of thousands of dollars less than other private and Jewish schools in the city.

Emet’s website says it will be able to accommodate children who previously attended Jewish day schools as well as children with no background in Jewish education. Children from families of all Jewish denominations and practices will be welcome, the school says.

Paul Bernstein, the CEO of Prizmah, a nonprofit that supports Jewish day schools, declined to comment on Emet specifically but said the school’s arrival reflects a growing interest in Jewish education. 

“Families across North America are appreciating Jewish day schools more and more,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “We are experiencing growing enrollment in our schools, as a result of which a number of new schools are opening and others are expanding their intake.”

The advertised curriculum at Emet departs from that of other Jewish day schools in New York and beyond. Alongside Hebrew, students will study Greek and Latin. Classical music and art history are among the “core subjects.” Students also have the option of studying “Military History & Grand Strategy.”

That is all part of the “classical” education model that has gained favor among conservatives in recent years, including with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a vocal critic of progressive ideologies, who has vowed to import the model to his state. Proponents of classical education say it centers values and skills that have been wrongly deemphasized by progressive educators. Its critics charge that it advances a nostalgic worldview that gives short shrift to women, people of color and non-Western voices that deserve a place in the contemporary canon.

Both sides say the model is deeply entwined with Christian ideals, with some advocates saying it is inappropriate to advance irreligious versions of classical schools. Hillsdale College, a Christian college in Michigan that is a driver of conservative thought, has launched or worked with dozens of schools across several states.

Emet Classical marks the first prominent experiment in a Jewish version of the model. Its board includes Ruth Wisse, an emerita Harvard professor and prominent Jewish conservative thinker, Bard College professor Walter Russel Mead and Wilfred McClay, a professor at Hillsdale.

“[W]e believe that history’s future leaders — in law and business, politics and statesmanship, science and religious life — benefit from a truly classical education,” Cohen wrote. “America needs a Jewish classical school.”


The post Tikvah Fund, conservative think tank, to open ‘classical’ Jewish day school in New York City appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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US Reportedly Shares Intelligence with New Syrian Leadership to Counter ISIS Threats

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, waits to welcome the senior Ukrainian delegation led by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

i24 NewsThe United States has begun sharing classified intelligence with Syria’s new leadership, led by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group formerly designated as a terrorist organization, reports the Washington Post.

This unexpected collaboration comes in the wake of HTS overthrowing the Assad regime last month and reflects heightened US concerns about a potential resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIS).

According to sources, US intelligence recently helped thwart a planned ISIS attack on a prominent Shiite shrine near Damascus.

Despite this cooperation, US officials stress that the intelligence-sharing arrangement does not signify full support for HTS, which has a controversial history of extremism.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known by his militant alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has made efforts to project a more moderate image, pledging to protect Syria’s religious minorities and stabilize the country.

However, skepticism remains about HTS’s ability to govern effectively and sustain efforts against ISIS.

The Biden administration, before leaving office, maintained HTS’s terrorist designation while easing sanctions on Syria to facilitate humanitarian aid. As the new US administration under President Donald Trump takes shape, questions loom about the future of American involvement in Syria and the ongoing military presence aimed at preventing an ISIS comeback.

The post US Reportedly Shares Intelligence with New Syrian Leadership to Counter ISIS Threats first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hostages Missing from Hamas’ Release List

A birthday cake for Kfir Bibas, who is a hostage in Hamas captivity. Thursday, January 18, 2024. (Photo: Debbie Weiss)

i24 NewsThe second phase of hostage releases between Israel and Hamas has sparked deep frustration and grief among the families of those still held captive.

Two hostages—Arbel Yahud and Agam Berger—were notably excluded from the list of those to be freed on Saturday, despite earlier agreements prioritizing the return of civilians.

Arbel Yahud, 29, and Agam Berger, 20, both captives since the October 7 attack, were not included in the list of four hostages expected to be released.

Yahud, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken along with her partner, Ariel Cunio, whose family was freed in November. Yahud’s brother, Dolev, was later found dead in June after he was killed while trying to aid the wounded. Agam Berger, from Holon, was captured while stationed at Nahal Oz. Her family identified her in a video released by Hamas, showing her in pajamas being taken away in a vehicle after she called her father to alert him of the gunfire.

The omission of these two hostages has led to heightened concerns and calls for action from Israeli authorities, who are now exerting pressure on Hamas and mediators to honor the terms of the release agreement. Israeli officials reaffirmed their commitment to continue with the broader agreement, but warned that the failure to meet the agreed terms could harm future releases.

Adding to the grief, the Bibas family expressed their devastation when they learned that Shiri Bibas and her children, who were abducted from their Nir Oz home on October 7, were also absent from the second release list. In a heartfelt message shared on Saturday, the Bibas family shared their anguish: “Even though we were prepared for it, we were hoping to see Shiri and the children on the list that was supposed to be the civilian list.” The family voiced concerns over their loved one’s safety and questioned why, despite grave fears for their lives, their relatives were not included among the civilians due to be returned.

The Bibas family’s message emphasized their belief that the public must continue to demand answers, adding, “Thank you, dear supporters, for not giving up, for continuing to pray, to hope and to demand answers.

The post Hostages Missing from Hamas’ Release List first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Naama Levi, and Daniela Gilboa Return to Israel After 477 Days of Captivity

A combination picture shows Israeli hostages Karina Ariev, Naama Levy, Liri Albag, and Daniela Gilboa, soldiers who were seized from their army base in southern Israel during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, in these undated handout pictures. Photo: Courtesy of Bring Them Home Now/Handout via REUTERS

i24 NewsAfter 477 harrowing days in captivity, four young Israeli women—Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Naama Levi, and Daniela Gilboa—have finally returned home.

The release took place Saturday morning in Gaza’s Palestine Square, under a carefully staged scene orchestrated by Hamas.

The four women, who served in a military observation unit in Nahal Oz, were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Before their release, they were made to wear uniforms provided by Hamas and were paraded on a platform in front of a crowd of activists. Forced to smile and wave, the women endured the ordeal under the watchful eyes of Hamas fighters.

Once the formalities concluded, the women walked to waiting ICRC vehicles, accompanied by representatives of the organization. Upon reaching Israeli forces, IDF medical teams immediately conducted examinations. At the meeting point, the first female officers who greeted them informed the women that their families were watching live. Overcome with emotion, the former hostages smiled at the cameras, sending heartfelt gestures to their loved ones.

Footage later released by the IDF captured a poignant moment: the four women removing the uniforms given to them by Hamas and embracing Israeli officers. These emotional scenes underscored the end of a long and grueling chapter in their lives.

The women were transported to the Reim reception center, where their families eagerly awaited them. After 477 days of separation, the reunions were deeply moving, marking a moment of relief and joy.

However, the release was not without complications. A fifth military observer, Agam Berger, remains in captivity, and Hamas failed to uphold its agreement to release civilian hostage Arbel Yahud, who was originally included in the liberation group. The breach of terms has drawn widespread condemnation, intensifying efforts to secure the release of those who remain captive.

This momentous event brings a mix of celebration and determination, as Israel continues to work tirelessly for the freedom of all hostages still held in Gaza.

The post Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Naama Levi, and Daniela Gilboa Return to Israel After 477 Days of Captivity first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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