Yaffed

See you on June 14th! Register here: https://www.92ny.org/event/unorthodox-education

What happens when children are denied a secular education and who decides what they are allowed to learn?

On Jun 14, join us at The 92nd Street Y, New York for Unorthodox Education, a powerful documentary from Jewish filmmakers exploring schooling inside Hasidic and Haredi communities and the lasting human impact of limited access to secular education. Through firsthand accounts from people who left the ultra Orthodox world alongside journalists, academics, and advocates, the film reveals the deeply personal stakes behind a decade long political struggle.

Following the screening, stay for a live conversation with filmmakers Adina Mermelstein Konikoff and Joe Kolman about the making of the film, the challenges of telling this story, and what has unfolded since. Bring your questions for a deeper conversation on one of the most urgent and complex issues facing parts of the Jewish community today.

Cannot join us in person? The post screening talkback will also be available via livestream.

Join us LIVE in person on Jun 14 or stream the talkback from anywhere. Tap the link in bio to get tickets and be part of the conversation.

Have you missed one of our sold out screenings of Unorthodox Education? Join us for one of our upcoming screenings and talkbacks:

🗓️ May 19 @ 6:00 PM — FREE
The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave

🗓️ June 14 @ 7:00 PM — $18
92NY, 1395 Lexington Ave

Two nights. Two more chances to see Unorthodox Education on the big screen in NYC. Grab your spot here: https://yaffed.org/events/

May is one of the lucky ones.
Meity “May” Hoffman grew up in Hasidic girls’ schools in Brooklyn and Monsey—schools where secular education was limited, and where she was discouraged from pursuing her dreams. When she told her principal she wanted to apply to college, she was screamed at in front of her classmates.
She was stubborn, so she pushed past them, applied, and got into Brooklyn College.
There, she quickly realized how far behind she was. She had never written a research paper. Never given a presentation. Never learned the skills most students take for granted.
She made it through with grit, and with the support from her mother. Today, she’s a college graduate, applying to law school—and working as a community organizer with YAFFED, helping students who were denied an education like she was.
But most students don’t get that support. Even now, her 14-year-old brother is at a yeshiva, struggling with basics many children learn in elementary school.
May’s story is powerful, and she’s speaking out so others aren’t left behind.
Read her op-ed in BK Reader

My Yeshiva Education Story: One of The Lucky Ones Op-Ed: Yeshiva education must also give students the tools they need to provide for themselves and their families.

It’s court day.
YAFFED is at Brooklyn Supreme Court supporting the case to restore the right to learn for Jewish students — and undo the state’s backroom deal that gutted yeshiva education standards.
More than 100,000 students are impacted by those changes. Today’s hearing puts a spotlight on what they’re being denied, and what they’re owed.
This moment has been a long time coming.

Big news: our in-house counsel, Chris Hazen, has been named to cityandstateny 2026 Trailblazers in Law list.
Chris has been a fierce advocate for Jewish students' right to learn, and was instrumental in securing NYSED education standards. As our court battles continue, we're proud to have him on our team.

Congratulations Phylisa! See our statement.

Had an incredible evening on Tuesday for our Unorthodox Education Screening and Talkback! 🎬
Thank you Ruth Messinger for brilliantly moderating, our panelists for sharing their powerful stories, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan for hosting, and everyone who showed up with open hearts and minds.
Next screening: Feb 3 at Congregation Beth Elohim. Register here: https://cbebk.shulcloud.com/unorthodox-education

Out this afternoon in JTA News:

YAFFED Executive Director Adina Mermelstein Konikoff shares the findings from a newly published report that is the first comprehensive analysis of curriculum in Jewish schools in New York State.

We know the consequences of denying children the right to learn: deep economic inequities. But after the state abandoned its oversight role of nonpublic schools, there were no assessments available to confirm what students were actually being taught.

This robust report fills in the gaps and confirms what YAFFED has long said: there is deep, widespread neglect happening in Hasidic yeshivas, particularly all-boys schools.

But the report also shows us that many Jewish schools are pursuing balance, and that secular and religious education can go hand in hand: A subset of Hasidic boys’ schools were providing 6-8 hours per week of secular studies – not enough, but an attempt at balance.

Read the op-ed via the link below and visit our website at https://yaffed.org to learn more about the report.

https://www.jta.org/2025/11/12/ideas/nycs-yeshivas-can-offer-a-well-rounded-education-will-mayor-mamdani-help-them-get-there

NYC's yeshivas can offer a well-rounded education. Will Mayor Mamdani help them get there? - Jewish Telegraphic Agency A critical lack of secular education in Orthodox yeshivas affects tens of thousands of Jewish children, writes the executive director of YAFFED.

YAFFED Executive Director Adina Mermelstein Konikoff and attorney Michael Rebell were guests on The Capitol Pressroom with Dave Lombardo on WCNY Radio this afternoon to discuss the lawsuit against the Hochul administration for gutting state laws intended to ensure a basic education for all nonpublic school students.

Listen to the interview here:

New York sued over relaxed private school oversight The Hochul administration is being taken to court for relaxing state laws designed to ensure private school students are receiving a basic education.