Teach Coalition, a project of the Orthodox Union, will host “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: A Tribute to our Schools and Parents” on Tuesday, May 26, at 8 p.m. EST. The streaming event will honor Jewish day schools, teachers and parents, while supporting Teach Coalition’s fight for safer and more affordable Jewish education during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic upended life in the U.S. and forced the abrupt closing of schools, day schools and parents have stepped up to tackle unprecedented challenges. They have been at the forefront in pioneering remote learning, while also contributing their resources, technical know-how and collective creativity to manufacture protective gear for frontline healthcare workers, repurpose their physical spaces as field clinics, organize virtual home visits and recitals for senior citizens, and perform many more acts of chesed—all this while many of these schools and their families face financial strain that emerged with a suddenness few could have ever imagined.
Teach Coalition is honored to pay tribute to its long-term partners—the pillars of Jewish education, who moved to distant learning in a matter of days while balancing their work from home, caring for their children and extended family, and protecting their loved ones from disease.
With 200 plus member schools in six states, Teach Coalition advocates on behalf of 90% of all day school students in the U.S. for safer and more affordable nonpublic schools. Since 2013, the organization has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in government funds which have been used for school security, STEM education, scholarships, remedial services, nursing and transportation.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Teach Coalition quickly put its years of advocacy experience to work to ensure that all nonpublic schools receive equitable relief funding. Teach Coalition has been instrumental in securing free kosher meals for students in four of the country’s most heavily populated Jewish cities and towns; resources for sanitation of school physical plants; distribution of iPads, Chromebooks and non-internet phones to students in need; and continuation of specialized services through teletherapy.
“There’s very little to say about this pandemic that’s positive,” said Teach Coalition executive director Maury Litwack. “But amid the devastation and financial uncertainty in our communities, we also are witnessing our day schools and parents at their finest—both in adapting to new ways of learning and as leading forces for good. This livestream will be a salute to where we’ve been, a look into the future and a chance for people to support the work of Teach Coalition to deliver government funds to support our schools and families.”
Tune into Teach Coalition’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: A Tribute to our Schools and their Families, on Tuesday, May 26, 8 p.m. EST at www.teachcoalition.org/tribute.
