The following is an excerpt from Michael Naim's article in Etehaad Magazine

What distinctly separates the two camps [of Jewish Schools]:  One that believes in and observes our basic Jewish tenets and preserves our traditions and the other, which doesn't, in one word is: commitment.  It's the commitment to our basic religious tenets to observe them no matter what and to practice them.  Commitment not to transgress beyond its traditionally defined uncorrupted tenets, such as keeping Shabbat properly, observing dietary laws, which by themselves are vital disciplines to observe other commitments.  Commitment to ethics when dealing with another human being or fellow Jews, commitment to Jewish causes and to Israel's cause, for the young and restless commitment to marriage early on before it is too late, but not outside the faith, commitment to one's soul mate.  These are the building blocks of an observant Jew for wholesome living.

As our daughters come closer to marriage age, we think of what it takes to lead a meaningful, harmonious, fulfilling life with one's soul mate.  We look deeper into real life role models.  We look for true contentment.  Young souls who confidently find their soul mates with whom they share strong ideological convictions and related customs of daily practices that ever strengthens their bound, who lead a life based on well-defined timeless values.
We searched beyond the boundaries of our convenient biases, "Conservative values are middle of the road Judaism".  In our journey, we discovered our prejudices that were so self serving yet, so wrong such as the conviction that Orthodox Jews where superstitious and held on to irrational past dogmas.

We were challenged beyond the comfort zone of our lifestyles, which was much in concert with a typical Angelino within whom no marriage or repeated failed marriages is more prevalent than the stable harmonious family life as we knew it before we came (or landed) to its shores.
 In our search we found that in these turbulent seas of  chaotic destructive ideologies,  there were islands of spiritual tranquility and moral stability.  They were cohabited by those who lovingly preserve our Jewish traditions and master the wisdom of our very forefathers and foremothers back in Iran . Or for that matter, back in Europe, before it was swept by the winds of ill conceived trendy ideologies of the Reform Movement, before it was plagued by reactionary ideas of the Conservative movement [or new trendy "religious" Jewish movements].  Yes, we had a rude awakening.  We had imprudently entrusted our children's precious soul and impressionable minds in the very loving hand and, albeit, ill informed minds of "Jewish" educators who brought the disasters evident in the gloomy Jewish demographics of 1993 and 2003, in which the spiraling down trend of losing Jews, many of whom were devoutly reared in the same religious cradles of maligned Conservative and ever evolving Reform ideologies.  What the demographics did not amplify was the cause of such erosion .

A reader (wrote in Farsi), chastising me rightfully, for suggesting that studies are yet to be conducted to establish the effectiveness of some of these so called "Jewish" schools.  For as the writer, claims, we are here for 25 years and he has sent his kids to Sinai Akiva for most of the years that they offered schooling with great expenses. They endured what they saw as overt or subliminal prejudices, yet they are so disheartened with the results. Of the two daughters and a son, except for the first daughter who married an Iranian Jew, who is blessed with three children, the son, who now is in his late 30's and the second daughter in her early 30's, rarely care about anything that has to do with Judaism, let alone observing Kashrut or Shabbat.
They would not even give them the false hope of caring about Judaism as to come to synagogue with them.  For they see and sense the reason others come to such synagogues, to see and be seen for different reasons except solitude with G-d.  Though both have a good education and professionally seem to be on the roll, they are waiting to "fall in love with the right person" before committing.  The son is dating but not for marriage and the daughter is going out with someone seriously but he is not Jewish.  Worse yet, both regard Iranian culture as inferior and our religious tenets as irrelevant to "today's" world.  The daughter, who is more "spiritual," attends yoga as meditation to fulfill her "spiritual" needs.

What is hurting is that these aren't anecdotal cases.  They are the norm evidenced by these well-publicized massive Friday Night Singles in Sinai Program that attracts many eligible bachelors with dismal results, a poor solution for the big problem that their very own trendy religious approaches-lack of a strong belief system and commitment have created.  In contrast, much smaller synagogues can boast to their credit about many happily married couples who attend with their children every Shabbat. And that is what attracts my interest in them and their
religious approach; for they have amongst them (percentage-wise) more happily married younger couples, the acid test of their Jewish education, the blissful manifestation of their commitment, and the true test of passage for individual happiness and familial congeniality and communal support.  That is what I look for my daughters and grand children.

In regards to the article, I was admonished by our admired Rabbi Hekht of Chabad of Brentwood, for failing to mention the Chabad Schools.  "It's like surveying major baseball league without mentioning the Dodgers," he said.   Indeed, when I inquired about Jewish schools with a friend of mine, Joseph Kamish, he highly recommended Chabad Schools.  His children had attended Hillel, but he later placed them in a more observant school. For as we know, we live in a time and place where negative influences and temptations are so strong and persistent that sometimes they can overwhelm even a youngster with the strongest Jewish education.  Indeed, I was surprised when a friend related that, although his son is a graduate of Hillel and Torat Hayim yet, works on Shabbat as a computer programmer. We know that is an exception just as if a graduate from Temple Emanuel, Stephen S. Wise would religiously not work on Shabbat.  That is why Joseph Kamish placed his kids in Chabad School that Rabbi Hekht is principle of.  He assured me that after trying several Jewish schools, he is now convinced that Chabad's educational system is the best answer.  For the teachers themselves are very dedicated with a lifestyle that is an embodiment of piety.  They are the best role models to endow the kids with a beautiful mission that they embrace and cherish.  Joseph and Sivan's angelic children are prime living examples of such, as were the lovely counselors of Chabad's great summer camps we enrolled our children, nieces and nephews in.
As for our 10-year-old daughter Jasmine, who attended Roscomere after we pulled her out of Stephen S. Wise when we came to the bitter conclusion that she was better off not having that kind of corrupt and watered-down "Judaic studies" as was taught there, for it was systematically unauthentic and misleading, perhaps more about that in future articles.  Good news! She was accepted to Maimonides.  Miryam (Mi Mi) her wholesome tutor who worked with her all summer.  She not only taught her Hebrew but also lovingly recorded for her prayers and spent extra time to teach her the significance of the rituals, indeed her genuine belief system was permeated to Jasmine.

It's so heartwarming to see her finding special meaning in what she learns and does which fosters special feeling, strong self identity, what we sought all these years in vain.  Yes, she cried and complained that while her friends had fun, she had to study.  But as our sages said, "Those who sow in tears harvest with joy".   She is now full of joy as she relates to us stories that their Rabbi Mordechai Dubin taught while playing guitar in school and sings wonderful songs that teaches them kindness and devotion to others.

Jasmine is now in her first weeks of 4th grade at Maimonides.  She comes home singing prayers in Hebrew.  I have never seen my other daughters going to Sinai Akiva, Stephen S. Wise, or Milken ever showing such interest in praying and Torah's messages or enthusiasm about any Jewish aspects, to the contrary it seemed like a contrived drag.  In Stephen S. Wise for instance, if anything positive was said about any of our Jewish virtues it was always countered or qualified and tempered by showing the merits of similar virtues in other cultures or religions.  It had to be, apparently as not to offend, or to redeem the "other" parent.   I never heard them speaking with enthusiasm and pride about any of our Jewish biblical legends as they have spoken about Martin Luther King, not that he was not a great leader, but what about Moses, by most account the greatest leader?