Is It Time to Rejuvenate Jewish Education?
The two most popular words in the Jewish communal world must surely be “Jewish education.” Walk into any board meeting of any Jewish organization and if you want the room to kvell, just talk about “the importance of Jewish education.”
With the high rate of assimilation and the growing irrelevancy of organized religion to the new generation, it’s not surprising that Jewish leaders are constantly looking for an elixir that will keep more Jews in the fold. After all, what is more important for the future of the Jews than to continue its remarkable story by raising generations who will be motivated to do so?
But how do we motivate Jews to want to stay Jewish?
Traditionally, the number one answer has been to “give them a Jewish education.” What’s missing from that answer, however, is that we’ve never really defined what kind of Jewish education will motivate Jews to strengthen their Jewish connection.
One reason is that the high cost of Jewish education has sucked up most of the attention. For years, our community has been struggling with the vexing problem of how to make Jewish education more affordable to more families.
But as serious as it is, the affordability issue should not preclude candid discussions about the very nature of Jewish education and how we might maximize its impact.
In that spirit, I thought I’d share a few thoughts from the lens of a community paper, including one concrete idea I believe can make a big difference.
A good place to start would be to broaden the definition of Jewish education to include whatever can accentuate one’s Jewish identity and encourage more Jews to stay Jewish. From that vantage point, are we missing opportunities to take full advantage of everything Judaism and the Jewish world have to offer?
For example, if learning about Jewish contributions to humanity throughout history can build Jewish pride, why not consider it part of Jewish education?
If learning about Jewish cinema, Jewish art and Jewish comedy can strengthen one’s Jewish identity, even in an indirect way, why not consider that part of Jewish education?
If learning about the fascinating history of the nomadic Jewish Diaspora can deepen the feeling of Jewish peoplehood, why shouldn’t it be part of Jewish education?
Even current events can reinforce Jewish identity, if we expose students to prominent Jewish thinkers who are making a difference to the national conversation.
Jews are the people of stories. Every Jewish community bubbles over with human stories. We see it at The Journal every day — countless stories of survivors, volunteers, innovators, rabbis and communal leaders doing their share for a better world. If hearing those stories can encourage Jewish kids to do their share, shouldn’t that also be part of Jewish education?
Torah will always be at the heart of Jewish education, but in terms of building Jewish identity, let’s recognize that Torah is part of an extraordinary kaleidoscope we might call the “Jewish buffet.”
Indeed, the breadth of this buffet might be one of the most attractive aspects of Judaism. Offerings like Jewish poetry, Jewish literature and Jewish philosophy, among many others, hold treasure troves of brilliance and wisdom that can only deepen one’s Jewish identity.
Israel has become a hot and charged topic in the Jewish world. How should we teach it to strengthen Jewish identity? One way is to focus on the miraculous story of how it came to be. No story has more resonance than that of our ancestors who yearned for 1,900 years to come home to Zion. This is where you can generate emotional goosebumps.
The word “goosebumps” rarely come ups in conferences on Jewish education, but it’s critical to building identity. Goosebumps is another way of saying that some Jewish stories can reach deep into the heart and create lasting impressions. Having goosebumps for the miraculous Jewish story, for example, can serve as a kind of insurance policy against the forces of assimilation and animosity that will inevitably confront Jewish students when they enter college.
The reality is that the great majority of Jewish kids don’t go to Jewish day schools. Their primary contact with Jewish education is preparing for their bar and bat mitzvahs, which is necessary but not sufficient to build a lasting Jewish identity.
They need more.
Exposure to the exceptional breadth of the Jewish buffet would be a good first step as a way into their Judaism. It might even trigger their Jewish curiosity, which would benefit all Jewish students, whether in Jewish day schools or not.
The irony is that everything looks better when you look at the whole Jewish menu. When the central item of Torah is surrounded by culture and storytelling and other offerings, it feels more human, more approachable, like an integral part of the expansive Jewish family of knowledge.
Another modern reality is that people have different tastes and moods and, especially now, unbridled freedom of choice. Unlike the days of my forefathers, when everyone followed the same Jewish way, Jews today can choose a million other ways. The more entry points we can offer to their Judaism and the more diverse the menu, the more we increase the odds of both attracting Jews and keeping them in the fold.
In general, Jewish schools do a solid job of marrying Jewish and secular studies. But there are only so many hours in a school day, which makes the time available for Jewish studies precious and limited. It’s unrealistic to expect too much beyond the basics of Torah, prayer, Hebrew, Israel and Jewish values.
Even if we agreed that introducing Jewish students to the full Jewish buffet is a great idea, how would we even dream of incorporating it in such a tight schedule? Does a simple and convenient way exist to help make this happen?
Of course I’m biased, but I believe a good way to introduce that Jewish buffet is the print edition of The Jewish Journal.
If you go through our pages with that diversity in mind, you’ll notice quite a Jewish menu. From Torah to culture to history to rabbinic profiles to Jewish contributions to humanity to Sephardic Torah to poetry, communal stories, food, arts, Israel and much more, it’s the whole buffet in one convenient package.
As an educator told me recently, “The Journal is more than journalism, it’s really Jewish education.” That thought resonated so much I decided to write this cover story expanding on it.
Indeed, it’s refreshing to think of a weekly communal paper as a component of Jewish education. When I brought it up with Rabbi David Wolpe, he observed in an email that “adult universal adult-ed is long past due,” and that a vehicle like the Jewish Journal would be a good “starting point.”
For students, it’s exciting to imagine what would happen if, every week, Jewish students of all stripes would spend one hour in class being introduced to the Jewish buffet through their communal paper. I’ve kicked this idea around with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback of Stephen Wise Temple, and he agrees the paper could serve as a useful weekly class. “It’s all there,” he wrote in an email. “Torah, current events, commentary, culture, community stories, history, Israel. Everything you’d want for a rich conversation around a Shabbat dinner table or in a thoughtful classroom discussion.”
If the paper is seen as a “book” of Jewish education, it changes the very experience of flipping through the pages. Political analyses and commentaries teach different Jewish views on the world; the “Table for Five” Torah page teaches different takes on the weekly Torah portion; the column “Jewish Contributions to Humanity” teaches the long history of how Jews have given back to their societies; the food sections teach the diversity of Jewish ethnicity; the Sephardic Torah column exposes readers to Jewish scholars from Arab and Muslim lands; the Community section reinforces the value of storytelling to the Jewish tradition; the poetry page teaches the value of using words in a different context; the Israel page and analyses deepens the connection with Israel; the Arts section reinforces the many ways Jews express their Jewish identity, and on and on.
The point is this: If used well, The Journal can educate Jews in a unique way by exposing them to the tremendous variety of their Judaism. That variety is both a source of Jewish learning and a spark for meaningful conversations.
There’s no quick fix to the long-term problems of the high cost of Jewish education or the perennial threat of assimilation. But while we work on those, it’s good to know there exists a simple and efficient way to boost Jewish identity and trigger Jewish curiosity.
In short, a one-hour “Jewish Journal class” every week that would give Jews young and old a taste of everything their Judaism has to offer might well rejuvenate Jewish education.
That would surely be something to kvell about.
Is It Time to Rejuvenate Jewish Education? Read More »
