Two years after the debut of a controversial public school focusing on Arabic language and culture, a Hebrew language charter school is opening in New York City, stoking further debate about the purpose of a public school education.
Backers of the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, slated to open this fall, say it will appeal to diverse ethnic and religious groups and not just Jews. But critics here and elsewhere around the nation question whether public schools should celebrate one particular culture.
“They’re trying to transmit cultural values and identity, and that’s not the purpose of a public school,” said Michael Meyers, executive director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition.
Last month the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit over a school in Minnesota that caters to Muslim students, and a Hebrew charter school in Florida has spurred debates over church-state separation.
New York City’s Hebrew charter school is planned for the Mill Basin neighborhood of Brooklyn, which has a substantial number of Jews, including immigrants from the former Soviet Union but is three-quarters Black, Hispanic and Asian.
Sara Berman, chairwoman of the school’s board, said Jewish and non-Jewish students alike will benefit from learning Hebrew.
