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Welcome to
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• FOURTH DECADE OF LIFE •
THE
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• Lois J. Zachary, Ed.D.
Magazine!
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Most of the more salient motiva-
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Central to the challenge of Jewish continuity is the question of -what it

The Agency
for Jewish
Education,
partner con-
gregations,
community
providers of
adult Jewish
education, and The Jewish News
hope that this new magazine
will inform you about the rich
learning opportunities in our
community and tantalize your
appetite for a Jewish intellec-
tual adventure.

means to be a functionally literate Jewish person living in the United
States in the 1990's. The answer to this question is critical, for it is the
key that unlocks the door to its corollary question: What are the "basics"
that ought to be possessed by adult Jews today?

Consider these questions: What are the expectations that the commu-
nity sets for an educated Jew, and what are the realities of the community
life in which adult Jews live?

The vocabulary of Jewish life and basic Jewish skills that individuals
possess at any given time vary widely. Learners' formal Jewish knowledge
bases and experiences differ. How then, given this diversity, so de we
identify where people are in their Jewish lives and then build on it?

Our Rabbis have taught us that
"one who does not increase
their knowledge, decreases it."
The rich variety of course
locations, subjects, teachers,
duration, and hours are
offered to fit into your diverse
and busy schedules.

We can start by looking at "where the learner is at." Life-cycle phases
research is helpful in this respect, although it is somewhat dated. Typical
life-cycle issues affecting men in the third decade concern "settling
down" and "becoming one's own person." Since the late 1970's women
and many men have moved beyond the care giver or worker role to
incorporating both roles. Choosing a partner, starting a family, manag-
ing a home and a career, and assuring civic responsibilities are therefore
central concerns of both men and women in their thirties. Research on
the evolution of faith throughout the life cycle shows that little change
in this area occurs between ages 30 to 39.

Jewish history, text, Yiddish all
await you. Carve out the time.
Take the plunge into a quality
Jewish learning experience.
We hope this publication will
inform you and give you that
extra motivation to enroll.

Despite the different terms used to characterize the third decade -
biological clock and the deadline decade - there is general agreement
that most adults aged 30 to 40 face at least one or more of the following
life issues: parenting, non-parenting issues, single issues, marriage
issues, professional ethics and Jewish life, Jewish education as a career
goal, community participation.

tions for the 30 to 40 year old
adult Jewish learners are goal
oriented:

• finding practical answers to
questions
• fulfilling one's personal and
communal responsibility
• increasing one's responsibility
• increasing one's competency
• learning the "how to's",
i.e., the specifics of participa-
tion
learning
the vocabulary of
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Jewish life
• learning to live with the
"particular" versus the
"universal"
• teaching children:
Dor L' Dor
• seeking specific information
• determining the kind of
Jewish education to be
"purchased"

Article
continued
on page 9

Howard Gelberd
Executive Director
Agency for Jewish Education

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