Haredi leaders warn the New York Times against publishing a ‘false and defamatory’ article about yeshiva. The article in the “Times” will focus on Hasidic yeshiva in and around Brooklyn with approximately 50,000 students. “There is a high probability that your story will contain defamatory statements and consequences”
A lawyer for an Orthodox Jewish organization warns the “New York Times” against publishing a “false and defamatory” investigation critical of the Hasidic yeshiva, which should hit newsstands these days.
The article will claim that “Students in these schools are deprived of an education of full liba studies unlike students everywhere else in New York, that the students in yeshiva perform poorly on tests, the schools receive “a lot of public money”, and that “many teachers resort to severe corporal punishment “. The lawyer rejects the publications on the grounds that they are completely false.
“There seems to be a high probability that your story will contain defamatory statements and implications about Hasidic educational institutions, including statements that single out and stereotype against the Hasidic community without providing appropriate contextual data, and implications that the Hasidic schools are engaged in illegal activity,” wrote lawyer Eric Connolly of the Chicago Law Firm , in a letter to The Times on Thursday, and published by the Hamodia website.
It also says, “In addition, we understand from the emails you sent to schools, that the article will also include factual statements that are simply not true. Publishing such an article will not only constitute defamation, it will also cause irreparable damage to the Hasidic community and cause additional stigma on its members.” The article in the “Times” will focus on Hasidic yeshiva in and around Brooklyn with approximately 50,000 students.
The letter also states that public funding for yeshiva students amounts to $1,000 per student, compared to $25,000 that the government spends on average public school students.
Attorney Connelly added: “Anti-Semitism is on the rise in New York and the number of hate crimes directed against the Hasidic community has increased in recent years,” Connelly wrote. “I believe that your article will contribute to the negative perception of the Hasidic community and will fan the flames of anti-Semitism.”