Americo ,7ew1sh Periodical 0
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Page 22
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
Friday, April 20, 1951
Use of English Language Recommended
to Salvage Wreckage of Jewish Education
BY OBSERVER
THE
THEME OF THE FOLLOWING article on Je.`Wish education was activated by an ever - ' recurring question asked by adults
of the writer. These people usually possess a limited knowledge of Hebrew and Yiddish and have what may be considered a
meager Jewish background.
4,
"I would love to learn Hebrew able for all who seek knowledge vise methods which will correct works could be studied. The
or Yiddish," is the constant re- of Jewish life and history.
the impending catastrophe that is prophets could be approached
frain, "but it is so difficult for
Why not do the same for chil- confronting American Jewish life, from their true value and im-
me." To many the great barrier
dren? Why not use the English
Further figures on Jewish edu- port, without the language bar-
of language is an easy escape for language as a medium for giving
cational attendance show that the rier which makes so difficult the
doing nothing. Others are sin- our children their Jewish educa-
study of the prophets to the
cerely anxious to obtain informa- tion? I have not yet heard a overwhelming proportion of our child.
"large" attendance is on a one-
tion about their people, religion, cogent argument which would in-
day-a-week basis. Those who
If a child came to school for
and culture.
validate my contention.
have long advocated this "one- eight to 10 hours a week, in-
To learn Hebrew or Yiddish, as
• • •
day-a-week" school are now dis- cluding Sunday classes, much
an adult, is obviously a very
FIGURES SHOW THAT there heartened by its failure.
could be done to educate the
difficult task. Oft-times the wri-
has been a 500 per cent increase
Of those children attending child in Jewish learning and
ter suggests to these people that in 50 years in the enrollment in "Hebrew" schools on
a five-day- culture. The Sunday school
they use English sources and see Jewish schools. Assuming that
a-week basis, we know that their teaches the child quite a bit,
what results can be obtained. An these figures are correct, the per-
attendance span, in terms of when one considers the actual
adequate, if not excellent, selec- centage of increase is meaning-
years, is pitifully small. Even time spent in Sunday school
tion of works in English is avail-
less if we take into account the though' years are spent in He- class teaching,
increase in the population of the brew school or in a Sunday
It does so because the medium
American Jewish community.
School, these years often in- is in a language the child under-
Only eight per cent of our to- volve the chil d, parent and stands. He is given worksheets,
tal number of children attending teachers in conflicts.
magazines and other materials
Jewish schools are to be found
The introduction of television he can take home. Years are
in day schools.
into our homes can probably be spent in Hebrew school, and yet
When one stops to consider considered the "straw that broke the child may have to go with-
that the day school has been en- the camel's back." It is, in Jew- out any homework—for all les-
dorsed by almost all segments of ish terms, the final device to sons are in Hebrew.
American Jewish life as the only draw our children away from
Some books are now available
maximum program for Jewish Jewish culture.
that could be used. For example,
education, one can easily see
The child today is usually Cohen's •"Pathways Through the
where we stand, educationally "t h i r d generation" American. Bible," Eizenberg's "M o d ern
speaking.
This means that the parent Jewish Life in literature," and
Furthermore, figures on Ameri- knows little Yiddish or Hebrew. others are excellent. They are
can Jewish education are mean-
How can a child be expected now inadequately utilized in our
ingless unless some indication is to take to the lessons in Hebrew Sunday schools.
given as to the number of years school?
Many new textbooks would
a child attends a Jewish school.
• • •
have to be written. Biographies
For example, if children attend
THE FOLLOWING plan is de- of Jewish personalities and his-
Hebrew school from the age of signed primarily for use in the torical texts describing great
nine or 10 through Bar Mitzvah, five-days-a-week school.
eras in Jewish life would have
it is obvious that little has been
For the first year a child to be written • for the child.
done to provide them with a
• •
would
learn the Pentateuch in
Jewish education.
TILIS APPROACH, I believe,
its
elementary
farm
and
the
Hebrew and Yiddish are be-
is sensible as well as imperative
of Jewish history.
loved tongues to all of us rooted
for all but a minor segment of
Slowly
the
student
could
in Jewish life, It is simply a
be our Jewish school system. I
matter, however, of recognizinz taught to read Hebrew. The would say that the day school,
the problem we face, admitting goal of teaching Hebrew would an orthodox adaptation to Amer-
our failure and seeking to de- be to give the child a working ican Jewish life, would not need
knowledge of the language for this approach.
synagogue use.
Also, I would exclude the in-
The child could also be taught tensive secular schools that have
Greetings
songs in Hebrew and possibly a been able to transmit either Yid-
few simple poems, illustrating, dish or Hebrew to their pupils
ml the child's level, the beauty without losing any ground.
of the language. In the course
On the higher level such
of the child's progress, Hebrew
poems in English could be in- schools as the Teachers College
of the Jewish Theological Sem-
troduced.
4444 Woodward
Excerpts from great literary inary and the College for Jew-
ish Studies in Chicago, typify
1551 Caniff—GTRR Siding
the school that should be main-
TE 1-6880
tained, strengthened and if pos=
TOwnsend 8-2830
sible, duplicated in all large
Jewish communities.
But who shall carry on our
Passover
Greetings
and
Best Wishes
The
G. A.
INGRAIVI
CO.
tradition • of Hebrew and Yid-
dish?
Probably t h e orthodox day
school will continue to be the
reservoir of leaders for Amer-
ican Jewry, as traditional Juda-
ism has provided this leader-
ship, to a large degree, until
now. For specially gifted chil-
dren, courses of an intensive
nature could be provided. In
this way, Hebrew and Yiddish
could be taught adequately to
those children who show a great
interest in the language.
They would then go to our
Hebrew Teachers Colleges in our
large Jewish centers.
We would be able to mobilize
our resources to get Hebrew into
our intermediate schools, high
schools and colleges. The sec-
ular school, with its pressures
of grades and social status could
probably do better than we have
done.
This plan is no panacea for
Jewish education. The use of
English is merely a device to
stop our swift slide downhill in
the field of Jewish education.
The aim of the Hebrew school
is to develop love and interest
for things Jewish in the child.
This can be best done in the
English language.
With proper textbooks, good
methods and inspiring teachers,
the child can develop an interest
in, as well as an appreciation
of, Jewish culture and learning.
The use of the English language
is a necessary prerequisite in
attaining this cherished goal.
Passover Greetings
Morris Poultry
Equipment Co.
Distributor of Green Brier
products. Scalders, pickers,
tanks, fingers, belts.
Michigan Scrap
Iron & Metal Co.
New Nursery
Has Openings
Enrollments for the nursery
school at the Jewish Center's Da-
vison Branch are still being ac-
cepted for the afternoon session
only.
Children enrolled this semester
will be given preference for fall
registration, Mrs. Mildred Rolnit
zky Freedman, nursery director,
announces.
Nursery classes are limited to
a maximum of 17 children. Three
and four year olds are accepted.
Both morning and afternoon
classes of the nursery held a
model Seder Thursday, April 19.
Passover observances centered
around a Hagada prepared by the
nursery parents' Jewish experi-
ences committee.
Mrs. Herman Murov is chair-
man.
Wishing All Our Jewish Friends
and Patrons a
Happy and Prosperous Passover
B & C
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IN
DETROIT
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HIGHLAND PARK
O
O
O
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Passover Greetings
Gross, Inc.
Cleaners & Dyers
10201 WOODWARD
TO. 8-7600
GREETINGS .. .
HAROLD BLAKE CO.
3915 West 7 Mile Road
Happy Passover
* *
Amalgamated
Clothing Workers of
America
707 Hofman Building
WO. 3-3980
■■•■•••■••■•■ .......• ■■••■••■■•■ •••14..r.....
PASSOVER GREETINGS
Au& Wahl_ 1.0. all . .
a
AETNA INDUSTRIES
6791 E. EIGHT MILE
I
FISHER WALL PAPER & PAINT CO.
5810 WOODWARD AVE., TR. 1-4500