n Jewish Education

Making

Adult Learning Work

We know what needs to be done, but will we do it?

Why? Because they yearn to learn,
and these are the institutions that are
meeting that need. Often, they seem
to be the only game in town.
he question is not what
The conventional wisdom is that
needs to be done — the
many
Reform, Conservative and unaf-
Orthodox keruv organiza-
filiated
Jews not only contribute gen-
tions (locally based institu-
erously
to Orthodox keruv programs,
tions such as Machon LTorah and
but
also
consider them to be the pri-
Detroit branch offices of international
mary,
if
not the only, "authentic
keruv networks such as Aish HaTorah
source"
of
Jewish knowledge for adult
and Ohr Somayach) have shown us
learners
who
are on a spiritual quest.
the way. They place full-time adult
It
should
be
a major wakeup call
educators in the field to teach "all
for
the
other
movements!
They have
Torah, all the time," and provide them
only
themselves
to
blame.
Have non-
with support staff to make those vital
Orthodox
supporters
of
Orthodox
follow-up calls, send out learning
keruv efforts ever been asked by their
tapes, compile and update mailing
own branches of Judaism to support
lists, continually raise funds, and
adult Jewish learning initiatives that
maintain a high profile in the commu-
have the capacity to touch their own
nity.
lives or those of their adult children? I
Nothing is more important — act
doubt it.
like it!
To date, neither Reform nor
Rule # 1: It costs a bundle to do it
Conservative
Judaism has anything
life-
right. The Orthodox community's
like
an
organized
network of full-time
long learning
institutions understand
b
adult
educators
up
and running in the
this; they have made the investment
United
States,
and
the
short-term
and reaped the reward. Their efforts
prospects
for
such
an
effort
in either
have captured the imagination of
camp
do
not
seem
bright.
thousands of Jews, the vast majority of
In Canada, it's another story. The
whom are not now, and never will be,
Canadian
Council for Reform
Orthodox in their own religious
Judaism
established
some years ago
beliefs or practice. Yet they come to
the Kolel Centre for Liberal Jewish
classes, recruit friends and business
Learning in Toronto. We definitely
associates to come with them, and
need something like it in Detroit!
donate substantial amounts of money
Putting aside movement-based life-
to sustain and expand these programs.
long learning initiatives (such as the
Toronto Kolel and Eilu \'' Eilu here in
Nancy Kaplan helped organize Eilu v'
Detroit, which does not yet enjoy the
Eilu, the adult learning project of the
same level of movement funding as
Detroit Conservative movement in
Kolel), how does Detroit compare to
1996 and is its part-time program coor-
other American cities in terms of mak-
dinator. Kaplan was director of the
ing lifelong learning a trans-denomi-
Midrasha from October 1992 to June
national community priority?
1995. She was the site coordinator of
Cleveland has its College of Jewish
the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
Studies, Chicago has Spertus,
of Metro Detroit during the 1994-95
Philadelphia has Gratz and Boston has
school year. Eilu v'Eilu recently won a
Hebrew College — all originally ana-
$25, 000 seed grant from the Jewish
logues to the Midrasha and all cur-
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
rently thriving, whereas Midrasha has
Max M. Fisher Jewish Community
been permitted to languish, wither
Foundation to expand publicity efforts
and fade.
and increase administrative staffing ser-
Cincinnati has Hebrew Union
vices.

NANCY KAPLAN
Special to the Jewish News

T

8/6
1999

74 Detroit Jewish News

College (the original site of the
Reform movement's rabbinical semi-
nary system) and a hugely successful
Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
(FMAMS). Columbus, Pittsburgh,
Dallas and many other communities
are Melton Mini-School success sto-
ries. New York City and Los Angeles
have all kinds of terrific adult Jewish
learning opportunities to offer, and are
on a different plane entirely by virtue.
of the size, wealth and diversity of
their Jewish populations.
Even Windsor, our neighboring city
in Canada, has a Melton Mini-School
up and running, as of this year.
Detroit opened a Melton Mini-School
site in the fall of 1994 with an initial
enrollment of 75 students (at that
time, a FMAMS record). It did not
last, due to lack of support from the
local communal establishment.
Nationally and internationally, the
Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
franchise continues to be a great suc-
cess.
It is not the only option out there
— Me'ah, based in Boston, and
Derekh Torah, offered at the 92nd
Street Y in New York City, are said to
be excellent models, but unlike
Melton they don't yet have brand-
name recognition in Detroit.
Thanks to our local cadre of
FMAMS graduates, and with Windsor
in full gear and Ann Arbor and Toledo
also potentially interested, we could
have here the basis for a groundbreak-
ing International FMAMS site — a
cooperative venture that could cut
across denominational, municipal and
national borders, bringing together
Jews from all streams and movements.
That would be a welcome departure
from the dreary "turf wars" that so
often seem to block progress in the
Jewish community.
The key is local receptivity. Will
home-turf issues prevent Detroit from
welcoming "outside" initiatives? What
are our community's current funding
priorities? Do we focus too much on
bricks and mortar? Are we pre-occu-

pied with putting on large-crowd spe-
cial events? Do we spend too much oil
big-name speakers who fly .in and out
of town in one day and whose hono-
raria could pay a year's salary for a
full-time adult educator or an expand
ed, year-round version of SAJE? How
many salaried adult educators do we
currently support in this community
who do full-time teaching of adults?
Are there any at all outside of the
Orthodox movement? How much of
the adult-ed teaching burden do we
impose on our pulpit rabbis and con-
gregational educators, who have so
many other pressing responsibilities?
They hardly have enough time to
teach their own members, let alone
the thousands of Jewish adults who
are not affiliated with any congrega-
tion.
Over the next five years, Detroit
must get into a turn-around mode vis
a-vis adult Jewish learning. We must
stop insisting absurdly that adult ed
pay for itself." The successful models
are right in front of our faces. We
know what to do and we know that it
takes a serious investment to do it
properly.
Most American Jews today are
abysmally ignorant about Judaism.
Many are desperate for meaningful
Jewish perspectives on the world we
live in. They need help in being
Jewish and staying Jewish.
In five years, we can rescue an
entire generation — or lose a huge
chunk of it forever.
In other parts of the country, fed
erations and other major players in
Jewish communal life are respondin
seriously and creatively to this crisis
They are rethinking priorities and
putting major Financial resources
into community-wide adult Jewish
learning. I am confident that
Detroit can do the same. In the
words of Rabbi Tarfon, "The day is
short, the task is great, the workers
are lazy, the reward is great, and the
Master of the house is insistent."
(Pirkei Avot 2:20). Li