Edited by: TJVNews.com
It would appear that the New York Times has once again taken the opportunity to slander Orthodox Jews; in keeping with their policy to continue the campaign to denigrate them in any possible way.
A report on Thursday in the “Paper of Record” essentially asserted that Yeshiva University assumed a devious posture by claiming that it is a secular institution of higher learning in order to collect $230 million in federal government funding in order to build and renovate its facilities and restructure its pre-existing debts.
On the other hand, the NYT also reported that Yeshiva University classified itself as a religious institution in order to argue before court why it had refused se to recognize a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer club on campus. The report claims that YU has said that because it is a religious institution, it is not in violate of New York City’s human rights law which would compel the university to grant recognition to such a club.
For a while, YU considered banning all student clubs so it would not be forced to officially grant approbation to the LGBTQ club.
Three New York state senators sent a letter on Wednesday to the president of Yeshiva University suggesting the administration misrepresented the institution, JNS.org reported.
“As members of the New York State Senate, we are concerned about the discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ students by Yeshiva University (YU) while receiving funds from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) and other state funds,” the letter begins.
“YU’s discriminatory behavior is wholly inconsistent with the purposes for which state funding is provided, namely, to promote the fullest possible participation by all students in the state’s educational opportunities,” it continues.
“It further appears that YU made misrepresentations to DASNY about the nature of the university. In Yeshiva University v. YU Pride Alliance, YU claims it is not required to recognize the YU Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ student club, because it is a ‘religious corporation’ under New York law. This assertion conflicts with other representations by YU to the State of New York that it is an ‘independent, coeducational, nonsectarian, non-for-profit institution of higher education’ for purposes of obtaining certain bond offerings.”
“I think this matter is worthy of investigation and a potential criminal inquiry, based on what we know from their own court testimony,” said Senator Brad Hoylman, the chair of the Judiciary Committee and one of the signatories of the letter, as was reported by the NYT. “There is the potential that Yeshiva has misrepresented its mission and that could constitute fraud.”
The NYT reported on Wednesday that Hanan Eisenman, a university spokesman, said in a statement that “the Supreme Court has three times ruled that the government may not restrict funding to religious schools because of their free exercise” of religion.
“Yeshiva will continue to defend the right of its students to be treated by the state on equal footing with students at every other university. They choose for themselves how best to live those values, but the First Amendment guarantees Yeshiva the right to maintain a campus environment consistent with its religious beliefs,” Eisenman added.
The legal dispute between Yeshiva and its LGBTQ students is one front in a yearslong battle over whether religiously affiliated companies and organizations — or even pious individuals — must provide employment or other public accommodations to people with differing views or whose lifestyles they disapprove of, the NYT reported.
The NYT also reported that federal courts have taken an increasingly broad view of religious liberty in recent years, and religious freedom cases that have made it to the Supreme Court have almost always prevailed since Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the bench in 2020.
According to a statement posted on the Yeshiva University News blog, it says: “An article has appeared in the New York Times with allegations regarding YU’s use of state funding that are both wrong and offensive. When our community is attacked and misrepresented in this way, it is important to be clear that there is absolutely no validity or legitimate legal claim to the assertions about YU in this story. “
The statement goes on to say: “Yeshiva University is the nation’s flagship Jewish university, deeply rooted in our Torah and our tradition. The First Amendment allows us to provide a world-class academic and professional education in the context of, and alongside, an intense religious education.
In the last five years, including this past summer in Carson v. Makin, the Supreme Court has three times ruled that the government may not restrict funding to religious schools because of their free exercise. And no government can ever retaliate against anyone for defending their religious beliefs in court. Yeshiva will continue to defend its right to religious liberty while ensuring the right of its students to be treated by the state on equal footing with students at every other university.
The allegations of discrimination are equally false and offensive. Our students, including our LGBTQ students, come to Yeshiva because of our commitment to Torah values. In keeping with our commitment to our students, YU last year announced the framework for the Kol Yisrael Areivim club for our undergraduate students who identify as LGBTQ and are striving to live authentic Torah lives. Our Office of Student Life is working together with our students on the activities of this club.”
On Thursday, Yeshiva World News reported that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has weighed in on the New York Times’ incessant negative coverage of the Orthodox Jewish and Chasidic communities in New York, calling upon the outlet to take into account the fuel it is adding to the exponentially growing anti-Semitic fire that is already tearing through New York.
“In September 2022, the New York Times published its first investigative piece on the Orthodox Jewish community,” the ADL wrote in a four-part Twitter thread. “It seemed to paint that community with a broad brush, and we issued the below statement because we were concerned about stereotyping that could lead to anti-Semitism.”
“That concern has only heightened as similar articles appeared,” the ADL continued its thread. “Our partners at @AgudahNews have now counted 12 such articles in the series since then and created a resource called @KnowUS_ for understanding the broader picture.”
This tweet linked to Agudah’s new KnowUs website that provides the unfamiliar with a raw glimpse at Orthodox Jewish and Chasidic lifestyle and culture.
“We commend this and hope that the @NYTimes is reviewing this site which offers important perspective. Given that hate crimes and hate incidents against Jews – particularly Orthodox Jews who are more visibly identifiable — have risen greatly over the past few years… such stereotyping can add fuel to the fire. We ask that that the @nytimes take this into account in their investigative reporting and that the readers of these articles refrain from generalizing about these communities,” the thread ended.
