Adams 'Not Concerned' Over Yeshivas After Bombshell Report On Failings

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Eric Adams waved off a bombshell report that found New York City's private yeshivas deprived students of a basic education even as they took in $1 billion of public money.

Adams instead said an independent investigation — not the New York Times story — into yeshivas will guide how the city moves forward to guarantee all students receive a quality education, as required by law.

"I'm not concerned about the findings of the article," he said Monday about the New York Times investigation.

"I'm not going to look at a story. I want a thorough investigation, I want an independent review, and that's what the city has to do."

The New York Times report reignited a debate over the city's yeshivas run by the Hasidic community — and comes before a state Board of Regents vote on potential new regulations that could strip such schools of public funding if they fail to provide a basic education.

Students in many of those private schools — which focus on Jewish tradition — failed standardized tests in reading and math en masse, could barely read or write English, had few or no history lessons and endured harsh corporal punishments, according to the Times report, which drew on interviews with more than 275 people.

The report raised questions about whether many yeshivas, even though they are private, violated state laws that guarantee an adequate education to children. The Times also found Hasidic boys' school have collected more than $1 billion in government money during the past four years.

A backlash to the Times story began even before its publication over the weekend, including an opinion piece by Assembly Member Simcha Eichenstein that accused the paper of broadly and inaccurately defaming yeshivas ahead of state education officials considering what he called "intrusive" new regulations on the schools.

"The result of a two year @nytimes investigation is a pitiful rehash of cherry picked data and inaccuracies, peddled by the same group obsessed with Orthodox Jews," he tweeted.

"What’s clear is that the NYT is not interested in the positive value of our schools, just spreading lies for clicks."

Eichenstein, who represents Borough Park, had previously invited then-Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams to visit a local yeshiva in March 2021. Adams walked away declaring himself "really impressed," Forward first reported.

The mayor's political ties to various Hasidic leaders were scrutinized in the New York Times report, which also detailed an arms-length approach taken by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul when it came to questions of educational oversight of yeshivas.

Adams, while he dismissed the New York Times report, latched more importance on the independent review which began under his predecessor Bill de Blasio but was delayed as the coronavirus pandemic struck.

He did call instances of corporal punishment "unacceptable."

"Those reports should be reported to the necessary investigators," he said.

Read the full New York Times investigation here.