Yaffed

10/08/2026

Learning math. Finding information. Understanding the world around you.
For Pesach Eisen and Dmitri Lartzin, these foundations of an education were things they grew up without.
In our first Unorthodox, Uncut story, Pesach, a licensed mental health counselor, and Dmitri Lartzin reflect on why secular education is essential to understanding and navigating everyday life—and what it means to grow up without it.
Dmitri Lartzin shares that he pays out of pocket for a math tutor as an adult to learn necessary skills he wasn’t taught as a child.
Every child deserves the tools to ask questions, find information, and make choices about their own life.
Share this post to help more people hear their perspectives and continue the conversation at an upcoming screening of Unorthodox Education. Find the screening schedule and registration links in our bio.

09/25/2026

“The Yeshiva Issue Won’t Go Away.”
In a new The Forward op-ed, former NYC Corporation Counsel and YAFFED board member Victor A. Kovner examines New York’s rollback of education standards for nonpublic schools and the ongoing lawsuit challenging it.
Kovner argues that the case raises a fundamental question about the state’s responsibility to ensure all children, including Hasidic and Haredi students, have access to a basic education.
Read the full piece here:

In a recent op-ed published in The Forward, former New York City Corporation Counsel and former chair of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Victor A. Kovner, takes a close look at the ongoing legal fight over New York State’s rollback of education standards for nonpublic schools. I...

09/18/2026

Last night’s sold out screening of Unorthodox Education was a powerful reminder of why we fight for educational equity every day.
A huge thank you to our co-hosts at New York Civil Liberties Union for cohosting, to Art Eisenberg for thoughtfully moderating the discussion, and to our incredible panelists for sharing their insights. Most of all, thank you to everyone who joined us in the room—your presence and passion give our movement momentum.
The work doesn’t stop when the credits roll. For the price of a movie ticket ($20), you can help us reach 3,000 directly impacted individuals. Link in bio to donate, check out upcoming screenings, and learn how to keep taking action with YAFFED! 🎟️✨

09/15/2026

We’re bringing Unorthodox Education to communities across New York, New Jersey, and beyond! Join us for an upcoming screening followed by an insightful live talkback discussion.

Check out our full event calendar above to save the date for a venue near you! 🍿🎟️

https://yaffed.org/events/

09/11/2026

Shana Tova from the YAFFED team🍎🍯🍏

09/02/2026

Every student and family in our community deserves access to quality educational resources—and you can help us build the path forward.
YAFFED is issuing a Request for Proposals for a Program Design Consultant to expand our Education Resource Navigator Program. We need an educational strategist to design a model that directly supports Hasidic and Haredi families while driving systemic advocacy.
Key Details:
• Role: Program Design Consultant (Fixed-Scope / Fixed-Fee)
• Deadline: Tight timeline—proposals due Sept 11, 2026
• Start Date: Sept 15, 2026
📩 Apply: Review the full RFP (https://yaffed.org/expanding-our-reach-yaffed-issues-rfp-for-education-resource-navigator-program-consultant/) and email your proposal to [email protected]
🤝 Share: Know a consultant or advocate who would be a great fit? Tag them below!

08/11/2026

We're hiring! 📢 YAFFED is hiring a Development Manager to help us build the fundraising infrastructure behind our advocacy and legal work.

06/01/2026

See you on June 14th! Register here: https://www.92ny.org/event/unorthodox-education

What happens when children are denied a secular education and who decides what they are allowed to learn?

On Jun 14, join us at The 92nd Street Y, New York for Unorthodox Education, a powerful documentary from Jewish filmmakers exploring schooling inside Hasidic and Haredi communities and the lasting human impact of limited access to secular education. Through firsthand accounts from people who left the ultra Orthodox world alongside journalists, academics, and advocates, the film reveals the deeply personal stakes behind a decade long political struggle.

Following the screening, stay for a live conversation with filmmakers Adina Mermelstein Konikoff and Joe Kolman about the making of the film, the challenges of telling this story, and what has unfolded since. Bring your questions for a deeper conversation on one of the most urgent and complex issues facing parts of the Jewish community today.

Cannot join us in person? The post screening talkback will also be available via livestream.

Join us LIVE in person on Jun 14 or stream the talkback from anywhere. Tap the link in bio to get tickets and be part of the conversation.

05/13/2026

Have you missed one of our sold out screenings of Unorthodox Education? Join us for one of our upcoming screenings and talkbacks:

🗓️ May 19 @ 6:00 PM — FREE
The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave

🗓️ June 14 @ 7:00 PM — $18
92NY, 1395 Lexington Ave

Two nights. Two more chances to see Unorthodox Education on the big screen in NYC. Grab your spot here: https://yaffed.org/events/

05/04/2026

May is one of the lucky ones.
Meity “May” Hoffman grew up in Hasidic girls’ schools in Brooklyn and Monsey—schools where secular education was limited, and where she was discouraged from pursuing her dreams. When she told her principal she wanted to apply to college, she was screamed at in front of her classmates.
She was stubborn, so she pushed past them, applied, and got into Brooklyn College.
There, she quickly realized how far behind she was. She had never written a research paper. Never given a presentation. Never learned the skills most students take for granted.
She made it through with grit, and with the support from her mother. Today, she’s a college graduate, applying to law school—and working as a community organizer with YAFFED, helping students who were denied an education like she was.
But most students don’t get that support. Even now, her 14-year-old brother is at a yeshiva, struggling with basics many children learn in elementary school.
May’s story is powerful, and she’s speaking out so others aren’t left behind.
Read her op-ed in BK Reader

Op-Ed: Yeshiva education must also give students the tools they need to provide for themselves and their families.