Section archive - Trends in Jewish Education

Over and above what Moses said in the last month of his life, is what Moses did. He changed careers. He shifted his relationship with the people. No longer Moses the liberator, the lawgiver, the worker of miracles, the intermediary between the Israelites and God, he became the figure known to Jewish memory: Moshe Rabbeinu, “Moses, our teacher.” Moses became, in the last month of his life, the master educator. In these addresses, he does more than tell the people what the law is. He explains to them why the law is. There is nothing arbitrary about it. The law is as it is because of the people’s experience of slavery and persecution in Egypt, which was their tutorial in why we need freedom and law-governed liberty. Time and again he says: You shall do this because you were once slaves in Egypt. They must remember and never forget – two verbs that appear repeatedly in the book – where they came from and what it felt like to be exiled, persecuted, and powerless.

How does one not only teach Torah but also help students personalize what they are learning so that it is compelling and relevant, whether as a religious act in its own right or because of the messages that it can convey for life in the twenty-first century? The Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland, led in this effort by Rabbi Yehuda Chanales, decided to address this issue directly and explicitly as a professional community.

This issue of Gleanings highlights the work and perspectives from those involved in our fellowship. Inside, you will find a description of the how and why of this approach from our dean, Dr. Bill Robinson, and our colleagues at Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, our leading funder for this work, along with reflections from several members of our fellowship cohort on their fellowship experiences, the jewel, and how we can put this work into action.

It is problematic when the primary focus is on process, the “how” of Jewish education, sidestepping the “why” and “what” questions. What does it mean to be an educated Jew in 21st-century America? What should the content of a Jewish education be? And why is the chosen content important in shaping the next generation of Jews? To return to the language of the marketplace, it’s not enough to consider how an educational program will prove enticing to learners without also asking what today’s learners need to master in order to become active participants in Jewish life.