10 June 2005 (Friday)
at what cost?
Miriam Bloghead discusses an article about the high cost of "living Jewish". Nothing new under the sun, but it sparked an interesting discussion (read both Miriam's commentary and the discussion in the comments). My contribution to the discussion:
We are close be being priced out of our neighborhood (Brookline, MA), if we want to raise even two children here and maintain some kind of home life. It seems like the only families who can afford day school tuition (forget about "the extras"), without living an hour away from the school itself, are those where both parents work at high-income jobs. Unfortunately, those same jobs are often "soul-stealers": long hours, weekend work, business- or financially-oriented (rather than education, community service, do-gooder stuff). I could go out and get a $125,000+/year job in corporate law just to have the resources to send our (future) children to the right schools and give them all the right things, but part of raising them (to me, at least) is showing them that I'm using my education to better people's lives. Someone has to do the corporate legal work, but someone also has to stand up for battered women and agunot, to secure fair and reasonable child support, to ensure that all voices are given their proper moment before the law. What Jewish values will our children learn, if in order to teach them Gemara and Halacha we fail to teach them tzedaka and tikkun olam?
I'm interested in hearing what my readers have to say, either here or there.
well, without getting too into the discusssion you COULD become a teacher and get a better price at jewish school that way....
We invite you to South Newton. That was our solution. Cross rt 9 into the eruv extension and houses drop roughly $150K. Not ideal shul-wise, but we're hoping that we're the pioneers leading the way to the Newton frontier...
Next we see if Maimo considers us financial aid worthy. We'll keep you posted.
I also could earn way more in a different job. but then I'd be busy helping the rich get richer, which I have no desire to do. We could also afford Maimo if I worked full time. but I think it's more important to have the time with the kids. and I already can't figure out what to do about early dismissal on Fridays even with working part time, not to mention all the random vacation days/weeks. School calendars are just not made for 2 working parents!
okay, so go look there. ;-) We'd love to have you as neighbors. (Although I'd recommend trying to get closer to the school than we did and actually inside the eruv. We don't use it anyway, well, we do because we don't live in it if that makes any sense, but no reason you would want to try to be out of it!)
Brookline?! Read my latest post. I hope your kids don't go to public schools there. I mean, read my post! Your poor kids!
Jen - Our children may very well end up in public high school, and we have every intention of remaining in Brookline for as long as we are financially able.
The "Black Book" looks rather crass, and I really can't comment on any perceived pro-gay (vs. pro-everyone) slant that it may or may not have, but generally speaking I prefer more sex ed (and more straightforward sex ed) over less. With the exeption of the list of gay bars, there's nothing in that booklet (info-wise, though perhaps in a different tone) that I wouldn't want my children to know about by mid-high school. We can try to instill them with certain values and outlooks, but eventually they will make their own choices (whether or not I agee with those choices) and I'd like them to be well-educated and able to make the safest (emotionally, medically, etc.) decisions possible. What I don't want is to raise our children in a bubble.
Avi - I wouldn't send my children to any school that would hire me. Would you?
