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Re: What’s Wrong With Yeshiva Week? (This was the headline of an op-ed in last week’s Jan. 2nd edition by Jon Lamm.)

“The Proposal: I suggest we move winter break to the end of December to coincide with most schools’ and businesses’ breaks.”

This yeshiva break causes so many issues for working parents. I cannot request time off after having a huge break Christmas week. Not only do I have to work, but my kids get stuck at home with a babysitter and me shelling out over $1,000 to cover seven regular work days with no school. Even if I don’t mind spending the money on babysitters, my kids are upset and feel bad that they have to stay home while everyone else goes to Florida! We created a situation where if you don’t go away your kids feel bad. Not on purpose, but the discussion wherever you go for the next two weeks is, “Where are you going away for yeshiva break?”

This has gotten insane. Giving off Christmas week allows two or more days of not needing to take off. Believe me, my kids know it’s Christmas and know it’s not our holiday. They can still call it yeshiva break! —Rebecca S.

I think it’s even worse than not helpful. What it means in reality is that people who sacrifice all year to be able to send their kids to yeshiva can’t even take a more reasonably priced, off-season vacation. Instead, they would be given off at the height of the travel season when every place is at its most expensive. For many families this would ensure that they don’t get to take any sort of vacation during the course of the year. While this may seem like a luxury, people who work do need time off and do need to get away with their children as is well documented. (Even an overnight trip is rejuvenating.) Many, if not most, of yeshiva families work exceedingly hard in order to afford their tuition, and definitely need to be able to take a break. The benefit to the yeshiva week vacation time is that it is an unpopular travel time for most people and therefore much less expensive than traveling during the holiday season. I think this is a lose-lose. —Suzy C.

The difference in pricing is not only cheaper in January (an argument addressed in the author’s preemptive argument #1), but is the only way many families can do it at all. The author seems to be saying, “Well, those people who are able to go away don’t really have a tuition affordability problem to begin with,” but I think that’s incorrect. We are fortunate to be able to afford January vacation, but I’m not sure we could go very far—if anywhere—during December vacation. And I can assure you that tuition affordability is a constant source of stress in our house.

Whether right or wrong (it’s wrong), in a lot of workplaces it’s almost expected that the Orthodox Jewish colleague hold down the fort while the other colleagues who covered on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, etc. get to now enjoy “their” holiday. —Dan T.

The Bergen County yeshivas should do what the more right-wing schools do and give a long weekend off (Thursday through Monday) and not two weeks off where thousands of dollars have to be found either to go on vacation or take off from work and find things locally to do with your kids. —Simcha G.

It’s much cheaper to travel yeshiva week than Christmas week; however, I would LOVE if my kids had off the same time that I do. I would pay more for that. —Michelle F.

I am in favor of moving the break to December as I have children in both yeshiva and public school and have to juggle the complications of accommodating two breaks.—Esther H.

I thought his article was ridiculous. First off, moving vacation will not have any effect on the tuition crisis. Second, moving it to December would make any sort of vacation impossible for anyone struggling with tuition. The prices are so much higher! Many places do not shut down for Xmas; end of year is very busy in many industries and, as has been mentioned, many Jews in service industries certainly work during that time to give their non-Jewish colleagues time off. But really changing one vacation week certainly does not solve the tuition crisis! —Sharon R.

For people who can afford “yeshiva break” by going to Cancun, Miami or some other destination that requires thousands of dollars to be shelled out, then come before a school board and ask for a “tuition break” (aka assistance), I find it a bit controversial. I do believe that families need a break to bond with their kids. We have four schedules to sync up, and on our salaries plus other home and family expenses can’t scrape up money to go away on a luxurious tropical vacation. My wife is not even off for a full week, her school where she teaches is giving a “weekend” that is not even during “yeshiva week” (I think on purpose), and my daughter has a whole week off, and I have zero vacation days, yet I work from home and will have to watch my daughter while my wife goes to work. The day school tuition crisis will probably NEVER get resolved, unless the federal government gives more funding to these schools, so that the parents do not have to move heaven and earth to pay the tuition. —Pinny G.