Whizin Institute Offers Ideas For Family Education Education The Goal In New Partnerships LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER C hildren always make for a good story. So when Ron Wolf- son told the tale of his son at 7 years old taking the parsley off his restaurant-din- ner entree and dipping it in water, a room of educators — many of them parents — laughed. However, they all seemed to realize the deeper message. Mr. Wolfson wasn't just telling a story. He was illustrating how a Jewish ritual from Passover had meshed into his young son's life. In an era of reinvigorated energies directed toward Jew- ish education, buzzwords like family programming, retreats, experience and continuity abound. The question on the collective mind of Jewish educators seems to be, "If what we have done in the past did not work, what does? And how do we do it?" More than 150 educators and com- munal workers got practical answers to those questions Oct. 27-28 when Mr. Wolf- son and the staff of the Whizin Institute for Jewish Family Life at the University of Ju- daism conducted seminars here in "A Journey in Family Education." The two-day workshop, sponsored by Jewish Experi- ences For Families and the Agency for Jewish Education, was offered to congregations and agencies attending in teams. Each team was asked to consist of, at least, a rabbi, to act as the support and ap- proval of a new vision; educa- tional director, as the professional; teacher, as the individual on the front line; and lay leader, as helping to provide an audience. Reform and Conservative congrega- tions were represented along with staff from Jewish Fami- ly Service and the Jewish Community Center. The 10.5 hour time com- mitment included speakers, workshops and "team time" — three 45-minute sessions for teams to regroup and meet with their peers, like all Con- servative synagogues togeth- er with a facilitator, and de- termine goals and practical plans. "Family education is not carpooling, it's not parents kib- itzing while they watch their children perform in a model seder. We need to engage fam- ilies," Mr. Wolfson said. "Par- ents seem to be reacting positively to our new efforts. They're coming to our pro- grams. But the key is to make sure they are well designed and marketed." The first example began when the theme music for "Mission Impossible" led offa group activity. A "save-the- rain forest" assignment was given and teams — a c t - - - , ing as families — decided to- gether whether or not to ac- cept the challenge. Banners were created using crayons and color coding to express sentiments about the im- pending adventure — orange for excitement, multicolored for confusion. While some groups were obviously artisti- cally inclined, yet in turmoil about the mission, others sim- ply read statements like "Send Ellen." Issues discussed were "could one family make a dif- ference?" and "what did each of us get out of the message?" The two-day workshop was for local "teams." The activity centered around the previous week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, where it is written "God fur- ther said to Abraham, 'As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your off- spring to come, throughout the ages.' " Vicky Kelman, Whizin staff consultant, explained how this project has been used in a northern California family havurah called "Family Room." The model has been borrowed from a Catholic fam- ily concept. "This is for groups of fami- lies meeting in informal ways. It's interactive, inter-genera- tional and creates a new kind of dialogue and conversation. This is an opportunity for fain- - ily interaction, Jewish-cen- tered conversation," Ms. Kelman said. Prior to second-day work- shops, which of- fered such titles as "Jak-in-the- Box: Jewish Ac- tivity Kits," "Mostly Jewish Families" and "Step By Step — The Build- ing Blocks for Jewish Life," parents who have benefit- ted locally from Jewish Experiences For Fami- lies activi- ties spoke out. Vicky Kelman Because talks about JEFF offers family retreats. community programming and congrega- tional assistance focusing on family education, Mr. Wolfson believes Detroit's educational community already has an edge on most of the country. Long-term, pragmatic ad- vice was given in workshops such as "Family Rituals Keep Pace with P.A.C.E." led by Whizin staff member Jo Kay. P.A.C.E. — Parent and Child Education — was de- veloped 15 years ago in Long Island, N.Y., and has since been replicated throughout the country. The concept is a year-long curriculum to "help families strengthen identity through discussion, understanding and supporting rituals," Ms. Kay said. Families of a targeted grade are asked to attend program- ming twice each month. One time they will be involved in parallel learning — studying the same topic as their chil- dren. The next time will be a SOLUTIONS page 25 T he mantra among Jewish professionals in their quest for continuity in- cludes inreach and work- ing together. A first step toward such an understanding was taken Oct. 27 when employees of the Agency for Jewish Education and the Jewish Community Center joined together for a morning of study. The group will meet six times during the year with various leaders and educators. The hope is to send all employees who have committed to the program to Israel together. Avraham Infeld, chairman of the Melitz Centers for Jewish Zionist Education based in Jerusalem, led about 20 com- munal workers in a look at the different approaches of educa- tors Hillel and Shamai. He said he believed the pro- gram was important because Jewish learning is an inherent part of being Jewish, and not limited to children. "I once asked my father what the minimum was that a Jew had to know. He said, 'More than he did yesterday.' This is a life-long enterprise," Mr. In- feld said. "No single Jew is alleviated of the responsibility to be an educator." foot, were discussed. (Hillel re- sponded, "What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn it.") In opposition, Shamai was al- ways completely truthful — painfully so at times. "There are three important lessons to anyone in education here. There are times when an educator has to know when to have faith in himself, there are times to trust a pupil and there are times to demand of the pupil to prove himself," Mr. In- feld said. "Knowing the differ- ence is key." Doug Bloom, a member of the JCCenter board of directors, said the morning session was "an opportunity to share re- sources and to help us all put Jewish content into our pro- gramming." Mr. Infeld added, "I've been trying to go to JCCenters for years and help them do educa- tion. There has been a fear that they cannot do it. You need to form partnerships, to facilitate discussions and informal pro- grams. "Educators have to realize they need to build upon the foundations of their agencies. There is no place more helpful in provoking questions than a JCCenter. Teachers need to dis- cover that and work together. No one has all the talents to en- sure continuity. We're replac- ing mommy, daddy, the ghetto all at once." ❑ Avraham Infeld "Jewish education does not belong to the Agency for Jewish Education, the Federation or the Jewish Community Center. In the Bible we are command- ed to appoint police and judges. Nowhere does it say to appoint teachers and educators — yet education is central to Jewish life. This is because no single Jew is alleviated of the respon- sibility to be a Jewish educator. If this applies to each Jew, then it also applies to each agency." Mr. Infeld discussed three Talmud passages and the ed- ucational approach taken by the differing educators of the time. He asked participants to note differences greater than strict- ness and leniency and if the teachers always behaved the same. Stories, such as an eager con- vert asking Hillel to teach him Torah while standing on one Happy Simchah! The Jewish News would like to print news of a bar or bat mitzvah in your family. 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