Section archive - Formal Education

Didactic rewrites of aggadic stories are an important resource in values education. This study, geared primarily toward teachers involved in choosing curricular materials, investigates how the didactic rewriter actually becomes an interpreter, rather than a mere transmitter, of the original text. The personal values of the rewriters can influence the retold story, as can their desire to adapt it to their target audience. In order to increase teacher awareness of the rewriters’ interpretive process and its ramifications, two different rewrites of the same original aggadic story are compared as a paradigm. The different values and role models which emerge as well as the potential impact of each rewrite on the child’s moral development are examined.

When formulating a vision of what they want their students to learn, day school educators need to start with a shared understanding of Jewish literacy. This issue explores the connections between a vision of Jewish literacy and a Jewish curriculum. Authors consider the purposes and goals of literacy; suggest ways that Jewish sources can serve as an educational framework; advocate for various subjects, curricular emphases and pedagogical or delivery methods; and share specific initiatives that they have developed.

'The Final Journey: How Judaism Dignifies the Passage' is a curriculum that explores Jewish death rituals. Developed and tested at the YHS, Boca Raton, it is designed to teach Jewish high school students in all streams of Judaism about the elegant path along which the Jewish deceased are taken in their final journey prior to burial. The content of the 8-session course centers about the role of the Chevra Kadisha, the Jewish Burial Society. As advocates for the deceased, they wash, purify and dress the body, thereby illuminating the humanity and ultimate dignity of the tahara ritual.

Each February, we mark Jewish Disability Awareness Month. This year, the decision was made to add “inclusion” to the equation, and it is now called Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). This addition may seem insignificant, but actually marks a movement toward action. Building awareness around an issue means that people come together to learn about and discuss it. It doesn’t imply next steps for taking action. “Inclusion” is a much bolder statement, calling on Jewish organizations to take action and include people with disabilities.