n Jewish Education

The Need For Vision

Hebrew schools need to be both spiritual and thought-provoking.

KEN KIRSHENBAUM
Special to the Jewish News

I

f I were the education director,
I would start with a clearly
articulated vision for Hebrew
school. Vision is important
because it can align people. Vision can
motivate people, and if used properly,
change cultures. .
With an intermarriage rate of
around 50 percent, our educational
system (and home life and social activ-
ities) are producing no more than a
random chance of Judaism surviving
within any one child. We are clearly
not connecting to the souls of our
children in a meaningful way.
A cultural change is needed. The
proper vision can help us understand
how to embrace our children's spirits
while teaching them the essential skills
of Judaism. I believe that how we
teach is often more important than

Kirshenbaum is co-chair of the
education committee of Congregation
B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield. He
and his wife, Rena, have three sons.

me feel Judaism.
the actual material being taught.
You never forget those feelings; they
Vision is a philosophical statement.
form a permanent connection to the
It is put into practice by combining
moment, and with enough moments, a
specific goals and a method of reach-
connection to the religion.
ing those goals. When both goals and
methods are fully aligned with the
vision, dramatic and measurable
progress can be made.
My vision of the ideal afternoon
Hebrew school is one that provides
spiritual and thought-provoking
experience. I believe that these CWO
goals are key to both keeping Jewish
children Jewish and having them
stay active in our community.
When I look back at my childhood
and think about what really keeps me
Jewish, its not the Purim celebrations
or dancing with the Torah on Simchat
Torah, although I. clearly remember
them. My soul was touched by the
outdoor Shabbat services at Camp
Ramah, when everyone in the camp
dressed in white. My spirit soared
with the mach (spirit) of zemirot
(songs) later that evening. I felt linked
to our people on erev Tisha b'Av,
Mg the somber candlelight service and
study sessions. The spirituality of
those moments affected me; it made
Michael Shecter gave his son Joseph a con-
gratulatog hug after kindergarten gradua-
tion at Shaarey Zedek ffnai Israel.

Many Challenges,
Many Opportunities

A veteran educator
explores the potential for
community learning.

FRAN PEARLMAN
Special to the Jewish News

I

n 1981, when I first entered
Temple Israel, I believed that I
was prepared for anything. I
had taken all the right courses,
spent a year in Israel studying and
loved being Jewish. I now know that I
was both idealistic and naive.
In the few years that followed, I

was faced with the realization that
none of that was enough. I have
learned that there is no one solution
to the many challenges and the diverse
needs of our Jewish community.
We do know our task: transmitting
Judaism from this generation to the
next. It is the how that often is over-
whelming and filled with obstacles.
How can I inspire that one parent
to take the first step to educate him or
her self in Judaism? What will mod-
vate that young person to seize
Judaism and make it his or hers?
Where can more qualified teachers be
found or do we just grab a warm body
to fill the empty classroom? Are there

enough financial resources and time to
bring out the best of what educational
resources we have.
On a more personal note — what
about the status and respect afforded
Jewish educators? Do we encourage
our brightest and best young people to
pursue a career in the field of Jewish
education?
These are all very real and weighty
challenges that Jewish educators face day
in and day out. They
are challenges because
the solutions are not
easy. But they are also
opportunities — to
continually create,
dream, design, imag-
ine and strive towards
goals that are often
just beyond our
reach. •
There will always
be one more Jew to
reach•and another

Fran Pearlman

8/6

1999

70 Detroit Jewish News

My program wotild be steeped in
experiences that foster spirituality, such
as Friday night services and dinners with
lots of mach, Havdala services followed
by dancing, and retreats aimed at creat-
ing as many moments as possible.
Thought-provoking is the other key
concept, which refers to how the
quantity of material is taught rather
than the quantity of the material itself.
My program would first teach chil-
dren to question everything. When stu-
dents question, their minds are engaged,
and the material becomes "thought-pro-
voking." My vision drives toward a cur-
ture of incessant questioning.
I would maximize the use of oral
storytelling. This requires a special tal-
ent. A storytelling teacher must be
able to personalize the tale and make
it seem as if she or he is sharing very
special information. Most children
and even adults are mesmerized by
good storytelling. Their minds are
engaged and connected to every bit of
information being relayed.
N/Iy vision? I guess it is to touch the
spirit and excite the mind. Isn't that
what Jewish education should be all
abOut?

Jew to teach. We can always find one
more new method to implement to
inspire young Hebrew students. There
will always be one more teacher who
needs help and guidance in creating a
Kehilla rdosha — a holy community
within his/her class.
But as long as there is the desire to
change and improve, and there are
Jewish educators who can lead that
change, then there is a future. And its
a bright future as we
seize the opportunity to
enrich the quality of
someone's life and be a
link in the future of the
Jewish people. ri

Fran Pearlman is direc-

tor of education at
Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield. She has a
Relo. rin Jewish Educator
(RJE) degree.

