At 07:32 AM 12/2/2015, you wrote:
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Yitzchok is correct that spending a year in Israel is not "for everyone." I suspect, however, that the student that Yitzchok is discussing is a different one from the typical modern Orthodox day school graduate who plans on attending university in the United States after their year in Israel. For these students, most of whom come from Zionist homes, the only option of an intensive Torah experience is in Israel; even an outstanding program in the US would not be an attraction for them. Those students – and their home communities – would be much poorer were they to decide to go to university directly after high school graduation.
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First of all, I would like a description of the "typical Orthodox Jewish day school graduate." Is it really true that this typical graduate plans on attending university in the US after his/her year in EY? If so, what kind of a university are we talking about? If it is a secular one, then given the situation today on many campuses (and for some years in the past) I fail to see how this can be a logical extension of an intensive Torah experience in EY. In general I think that most students who have only one year of learning like this are ill equipped to deal with the prevalent non-religious atmosphere on almost all campuses.
I agree that "Those students – and their home communities – would be much poorer were they to decide to go to university directly after high school graduation." However, is this really the only alternative?
Today there are yeshivas and Bais Yaakovs in the US that offer Torah learning combined with pursuit of a college degree. Such programs for many may indeed be superior from a Yiddishkeit standpoint that a year in EY and then attending a secular college.
YL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2015 08:45AM by mlb.
