Remember Ben Gamla?
The proposed taxpayer-funded Jewish religious charter school in Oklahoma? The same one with direct connections to St. Isidore, the Catholic charter school Oklahoma’s Supreme Court blocked?
Yeah.
Well, it just got even more interesting. 👀
Ben Gamla originally projected 335–495 students in its first year. Now founder Peter Deutsch says he expects just TEN.
A newly disclosed email reveals Deutsch’s ambitions to establish publicly funded Jewish religious charter schools across the country.
And members of Oklahoma’s own Jewish community are pushing back. Rabbi Daniel Kaiman described the proposal as a “Trojan horse for creating religious public schools.”
He also said:
“We don’t need or want this school. We want strong public schools and to keep church and state separate.” 👏👏👏
***Remember, Ben Gamla founding board member Brett Farley also served on St. Isidore’s board, and Deutsch supported St. Isidore at the Supreme Court. But St. Isidore didn’t get the nationwide precedent its supporters wanted.
➡️Now we’ve got another religious charter school proposal, some of the same people involved, a founder discussing national expansion, and an expected enrollment of ten students. But here’s what you really need to understand.
🚫This isn’t just about establishing publicly funded Jewish religious schools. It’s about creating a legal precedent that other religious organizations could use, too.
🚨Including the Christian nationalist organizations that have spent years trying to break down the separation of church and state and use government power to impose their religious beliefs on everyone else.🚨
A victory for Ben Gamla could open the door for them, too…
And considering the connections between these two proposals, it’s hard to believe that possibility has escaped anyone involved. 💁♀️
So is this really about meeting the educational needs of ten Oklahoma students, or about opening the door to taxpayer-funded religious schools nationwide?
Oklahoma’s charter school board could vote Monday, October 12. Keep your eyes on this one. 👀
What people are saying:
- Secular Education Association: 📚 SOURCES & DOCUMENTATION:
📰 Oklahoma Voice — October 8 investigation:
Oklahoma Jewish charter school expects only 10 students, per email to Tulsa rabbi
📄 October 8 legal filing, including Peter Deutsch’s complete September 30 email (pages 7–8):
The screenshots attached to our post come directly from that filing.
This is worth reading beyond the headlines. The founder explicitly describes Oklahoma as the starting point for a much larger national effort to establish publicly funded religious charter schools.
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