Bribing your yeshivah to success

Competition between yeshivah programmes for 18-year-old Anglos in Israel is intense. There are many smaller yeshivot struggling to establish themselves and struggling to survive. And of course, with fees, as I last heard it, in the tens of thousands of dollars, there is a lot of money being thrown about as well.

All of which perhaps goes to explain this rather disturbing post on the Lookjed list (run by Bar Ilan's Lookstein Center for Jewish Education):

I recognize that recruitment for Israel yeshivot is a cut-throat business, but I was (perhaps naively) shocked at a recent proposal made to me be a somewhat prestigious yeshiva to remain nameless. Every student from my school who ends up in this yeshiva will earn me $1,000 cash. In my seven years doing Israel Guidance, this is the first time I have been approached in this way. I am hoping that this post and the ensuing conversation will somewhat bring this to light and discourage such practice.

Rabbi Eli Mandel
Vice Principal, Jewish Studies / TanenbaumCHAT / Toronto, Ontario

You have to wonder what such a yeshivah is teaching our children.

(Via)