The two most popular words in the Jewish communal world must surely be “Jewish education.” Walk into any board meeting of any Jewish organization and if you want the room to kvell, just talk about “the importance of Jewish education.”
With the high rate of assimilation and the growing irrelevancy of organized religion to the new generation, it’s not surprising that Jewish leaders are constantly looking for an elixir that will keep more Jews in the fold. After all, what is more important for the future of the Jews than to continue its remarkable story by raising generations who will be motivated to do so?
But how do we motivate Jews to want to stay Jewish?
Traditionally, the number one answer has been to “give them a Jewish education.” What’s missing from that answer, however, is that we’ve never really defined what kind of Jewish education will motivate Jews to strengthen their Jewish connection.
One reason is that the high cost of Jewish education has sucked up most of the attention. For years, our community has been struggling with the vexing problem of how to make Jewish education more affordable to more families.
But as serious as it is, the affordability issue should not preclude candid discussions about the very nature of Jewish education and how we might maximize its impact.
In that spirit, I thought I’d share a few thoughts from the lens of a community paper, including one concrete idea I believe can make a big difference.
A good place to start would be to broaden the definition of Jewish education to include whatever can deepen Jewish identity and encourage Jews to stay Jewish. From that vantage point, are we missing opportunities to take full advantage of everything Judaism and the Jewish world have to offer?
For example, if learning about Jewish contributions to humanity throughout history can build Jewish pride, why not consider it part of Jewish education?
If learning about Jewish cinema, Jewish art and Jewish comedy can strengthen one’s Jewish identity, even in an indirect way, why not consider that part of Jewish education?
If learning about the fascinating history of the nomadic Jewish Diaspora can deepen the feeling of Jewish peoplehood, why shouldn’t it be part of Jewish education?
Even current events can reinforce Jewish identity, if we expose students to the Jewish public intellectuals who are making a difference to the national conversation.
Jews are the people of stories. Every Jewish community bubbles over with human stories. We see it at the Journal every day—countless stories of survivors, volunteers, innovators, rabbis and communal leaders doing their share for a better world. If hearing those stories can encourage Jewish kids to do their share, shouldn’t that be part of Jewish education?
Torah will always be at the heart of Jewish education, but in terms of building Jewish identity, Torah is part of an extraordinary kaleidoscope we might call the “Jewish buffet.”
Indeed, the breadth of this buffet might be one of the most attractive parts of Judaism. Offerings like Jewish poetry, Jewish literature and Jewish philosophy, among many others, hold treasure troves of brilliance that can only deepen one’s Jewish identity.
Israel has become a hot and charged topic in the Jewish world. How should we teach it to students to strengthen Jewish identity? One way is to focus on the miraculous story of how it came to be. No story has more resonance than that of our ancestors who yearned for 1900 years to come home to Zion. This is where you can generate goosebumps.
The emotionally-charged word “goosebumps” is not likely to come up in conferences on Jewish education, but it’s critical to building identity. Goosebumps is another way of saying that some Jewish stories can reach deep into the heart and create lasting impressions. Having goosebumps for the great Jewish story, for example, can become an insurance policy against the forces of assimilation and animosity that are sure to confront Jewish students when they enter college.
The reality is that the great majority of Jewish kids don’t go to Jewish day schools. Their primary contact with Jewish education is preparing for their bar and bat mitzvahs, which is necessary but not sufficient to build a lasting Jewish identity.
They need more.
Exposure to the exceptional breadth of the Jewish buffet would be a good first step and might trigger their Jewish curiosity. This would benefit all Jewish students, whether they’re in Jewish day schools or not.
The irony is that everything looks better when you look at the whole buffet. When Torah is surrounded by culture and storytelling and other offerings, it feels more human, more approachable, like an integral part of the expansive Jewish family of knowledge.
The other reality is that people have different tastes and moods and, especially now, unbridled freedom of choice. Unlike the days of my forefathers, when everyone followed the same Jewish way, Jews today can choose a million other ways. The more entry points we can offer to their Judaism and the more diverse the menu, the more we increase the odds of both attracting Jews and keeping them in the fold.
In general, Jewish day schools do a solid job of marrying Jewish and secular studies. But there are only so many hours in a school day, which makes the time available for Jewish studies precious and limited. It’s unrealistic to expect too much beyond the basics of Torah, prayer, Hebrew, Israel and Jewish values.
Even if we agreed that exposing Jewish students to the Jewish buffet is a great idea, how would we even dream of incorporating it in everybody’s tight schedules? Does a simple and convenient way exist to promote this buffet?
Of course I’m biased, but I believe you’re holding that Jewish buffet in your hands.
If you go through the pages of a communal paper like the Jewish Journal, you’ll notice that it covers pretty much the whole Jewish buffet. From Torah to culture to history to rabbinic profiles to Jewish contributions to humanity to Sephardic Torah to poetry, communal stories, food, arts, Israel and much more, it’s the whole Jewish menu in one convenient package.
As a friend told me recently, “The Journal is more than journalism, it’s really Jewish education.” That thought resonated so much I decided to write this cover story expanding on it.
Indeed it’s refreshing to think of a weekly communal paper as a component of Jewish education. When I brought it up with my friend Rabbi David Wolpe, he observed in an email that “adult universal adult-ed is long past due,” and that a vehicle like the Jewish Journal would be a good “starting point.”
For students, it’s exciting to imagine what would happen if, every week, Jewish students of all stripes would spend one hour in class being introduced to the Jewish buffet thanks to their very own communal paper.
If the paper is seen as Jewish education, it changes the whole experience of flipping the pages. Political analyses and commentaries show how Jews contribute their views to the world; the Torah page “Table for Five” teach different takes on the weekly Torah portion; the column “Jewish Contributions to Humanity” teaches the long history of how Jews have given back to their societies; the food sections teach the diversity of Jewish ethnicity; the Sephardic Torah column exposes readers to Jewish scholars from Arab and Muslim lands; the Community section reinforces the value of storytelling to the Jewish tradition; the poetry page teaches the value of using words in a different context; the Israel page and analyses deepens the connection with Israel; the Arts section reinforces the many ways Jews express their Jewish identity, and on and on.
The point is this: Going through the Jewish Journal page by page educates Jews in a unique way by exposing them to the tremendous variety of their Judaism. That variety is both a source of learning and a spark for interesting conversations, an integral part of our Jewish identity.
There’s no quick fix to the long-term problems of the high cost of Jewish education and the perennial threat of assimilation. But while we work on those, it’s good to know there exists a simple and efficient way to boost Jewish identity and trigger Jewish curiosity.
In short, a one-hour “Jewish Journal class” every week that would give Jews young and old a taste of everything their Judaism has to offer might well rejuvenate Jewish education.
That would surely be something to kvell about.
