How To Help Protect The Right To A Decent Education For Those Of Jewish Descent
Posted on: 25 June 2015
The Jewish people have had to survive various atrocities throughout their history. One reason they have been able to do so is their group unity. They are an ethnicity that believes in helping out the next generations. Education plays an important role in how those of the Jewish faith prosper and become valuable members of society.
Historical Problems Getting an Education
It has not always been easy for Jews to attend the nation's elite colleges and universities. In the early to mid-20th century, several academic institutions set quotas on the number of Jewish students on campuses. These quotas restricted access to an education at some of the most venerable schools.
It was this sort of discrimination that served as the catalyst for the founding of national organizations to challenge the then-prevailing negative images of the religion amongst many Americans.
Finances are a Problem for Many in the 21st Century
Fortunately, the type of religious persecution found in the past is not as widespread today. Nevertheless, though freedom of religion, embedded in the First Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause, found in the Fourteenth, ensure a right to an education regardless of religious affiliation, those without financial resources find it increasingly difficult to afford higher education.
A Solution
Jewish educational donations are an important way to alleviate problems people face trying to pay ever-increasing tuition rates. Programs set up to provide scholarships and grants for students help make college possible for those who otherwise would have to forgo this option or take out high-interest loans.
The money can help in a number of ways:
- Tuition
- Fees
- Housing Costs
- Food
- Transportation (daily)
- Books
- Travel (to hometowns and back)
Furthermore, grants help graduate students and professors conduct research that can help society address problems affecting Jews and other minority groups. It is also common for these financial resources to go to the funding of Judaic Studies Departments that provide spaces on campuses for students to explore the history of the group in a friendly, intellectual environment.
How to Get Involved
Anyone interested in helping people of Jewish descent receive the best educations possible can search online for a list of programs supporting this cause. You can make Jewish education donations or possibly sponsor an individual to attend college. It is important that society remember that not too long ago open prejudice kept members who accepted the faith from entering the halls of certain institutions. Today, money is often an even more serious impediment to the dream of earning a decent education.
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