PURELY COMMENTARY
8 | FEBRUARY 25 • 2021
continued on page 10
guest column
It’s Time to Reexamine Jewish Education
U
pon retiring from 48
years in Jewish educa-
tion, I still find myself
writing and learning about
the field. I am working toward
a doctorate in
Jewish Studies
from Chicago-
based Spertus
Institute of
Jewish Learning
& Leadership,
and my disser-
tation topic is
“21st Century Non-Day School
Jewish Education.”
At my disposal I have his-
tories of Jewish education,
numerous books and scores
of scholarly (and not so schol-
arly) articles on the internet.
What I don’t have is input from
21st-century Jewish parents,
and this is what I am attempt-
ing to gather now.
Jewish education has changed
dramatically since the first day
I walked into a religious school
classroom as a teacher. Then,
the youngest students started
with Sunday school. Second-,
third- or fourth-grade students
began attending classes two or
three days a week. There were
lots of textbooks. Every student
had a machberet (notebook) for
Hebrew writing.
Most teachers stood in front
of the class and talked — a lot.
There were music teachers and
Hebrew songs, sometimes art
or drama. Tefilah (prayer) was
taught in the classroom and
sometimes students had the
opportunity to practice those
prayers in a student service.
Students in Conservative
or Orthodox programs were
expected to attend Junior
Congregation Shabbat ser-
vices somewhat regularly.
Some schools had a Shabbat
attendance requirement. The
schools provided textbooks and
assumed that teachers knew
what to do with them. Many
did. Teachers taught a variety
of subjects each year and some-
times decided what to teach on
their own. Students might learn
the same things over and over.
(At least, that’s what they told
their parents.)
Most schools did not have
well-crafted curricula. There
were few programs to help
children who had learning dif-
ficulties. High school students
and parent volunteers helped
out with Hebrew reading and
holiday parties. Students who
quickly understood the material
spent a lot of time waiting for
the rest of the class to catch up.
Over the last decades we have
learned a lot. We have learned
to teach each child the way he/
she needs to be taught, relating
what we teach to the students’
lives. We know that what we
teach should demonstrate how
being Jewish improves our lives.
What we teach should help the
students to lead meaningful
lives and to understand that
knowledge of our holy texts will
help them thrive.
JEWISH EDUCATION TODAY
These days, Hebrew reading is
being taught in small groups or
one-on–one. We are not teach-
ing conversational Hebrew,
but we are using a variety of
methods to ensure our students
have the sound and rhythm of
Hebrew in their ears before they
start learning to read. Teachers
use computers in the classroom
and are able to access websites
that enrich their teaching.
Whiteboards allow students
to interact with the material.
Textbooks are much improved
and teachers have learned to
create rich lessons with or
without them. Using their
knowledge of child develop-
ment, positive psychology, etc.,
teachers create an appropriate
atmosphere for learning and
for building friendships. Our
schools use the arts, literature,
project-based learning, drama,
independent learning, outdoor
education, family education,
etc.
Technology is our newest
tool. Religious-school teachers
and administrators have learned
much from online instruction
over these last months. Teachers
have been impressed both with
how the use of technology
allows some reticent students
to succeed and with how much
technology helps the teaching
of Hebrew reading. Homework
is not a hardship when students
sign in from home and play
review games.
We teach Israel while
showing live pictures of Tel
Aviv and teach about Jews in
Ethiopia while talking to Jewish
Ethiopians online. My dream
is that schools will add instruc-
tion time with online lessons
on days that students are not
in school. There is, after all, no
travel time involved.
For educational planning, as
for teaching, it is important to
know one’s audience. Judaism is
more than a school subject. It is
a way of life. Thus, it is import-
ant to know our students’ fami-
lies and to understand how they
interpret what it means to be
Jewish.
What new can we learn?
In 1958, Jewish educators,
concerned about their efficacy,
Elissa Berg
“JEWISH EDUCATION HAS
CHANGED DRAMATICALLY SINCE
THE FIRST DAY I WALKED INTO
A RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
CLASSROOM AS A TEACHER.”
“Hello, First Grade”