Education Jews in Congregational Schools

The second questionable assumption is that Sunday schools and Hebrew schools will remain the primary format for Jewish education. Most Jewish schooling today does take place in settings specifically designed to teach Judaism, but this is likely to change. The disaffection with Sunday schools and Hebrew schools experienced by many baby boomers has etched itself on the psyche of the American Jewish community. The magnetism of bar and bat mitzvah, for which school attendance is a prerequisite, has kept these schools alive, but few professional educators and lay leaders currently believe that supplementary schools alone will be sufficient to prepare young Jews for a life-long commitment to Judaism.

Expanded educational programming is rapidly becoming the norm in Reform and conservative temples. New programs include performing arts, community service, and adult learning circles. Most Reform religious schools have added a family education component in an effort to transform themselves into Jewish learning communities. Many congregations urge their young people to participate in youth programs, summer camps, and, particularly, Israel trips, all consider vital to the Jewish community.

Unlike those working in the current paradigm of a classroom with a dozen or so students, tomorrow's teachers will be called upon to teach children and adults, and to plan and implement programs for large numbers of people with different learning needs. They will need skills to move learning out of the classroom and into the community, utilizing a diverse range of resources. And they will need to be able to touch people's hearts as well as inform their minds.