Has the Jewish Day School Model Failed?

An excellent article by Gary Rosenblatt on the future of Jewish education in The [NY] Jewish Week. In particular, his support for the Hebrew Charter School model and for revisiting the Hebrew (Sunday) School model is welcome. I’m not going to attempt to paraphrase the article, or sprinkle my post with extracts. Rather read it in full here:

Jewish Day School Model May Now Be Thing Of Past

Just a couple of points to add to the discussion:

Isn’t it a bit premature to conclude that the Jewish Day School model has failed (at least financially)? I think that much of the problem is that almost the entire burden of running Jewish Day Schools has fallen on the parents of those attending them (apart from donors, of course), during the course of their attendance. If we believe that day schools are truly the answer for Jewish literacy and a (meaningful) Jewish survival, then surely the burden should be picked up by the entire Jewish community, not just those whose children attend a day school. We should see this as one of the most crucial needs when it comes to communal Jewish spending.

If we look at South Africa, it is claimed that around 80% of Jewish children attend a Jewish Day School, most of which operate under the aegis of the SA Board of Jewish Education (SABJE). This is a good example of what can be achieved when the Jewish Day School model enjoys almost universal support from the community.

(The SA example is not without its flaws, with the culture of the SABJE-supported schools having been hijacked by the increasingly Haredi-oriented Orthodox structures. While the attempt to impose a higher level of “Frumkeit” has probably been largely successful, it has eroded the universal support schools such as King David once enjoyed. The 80% figure referred to above is probably quite optimistic, given the quiet drift away from organised Jewish life that has taken place in conjunction with the increased level of observance in part of the community. Simply put, a pluralistic or non-denominational Jewish education is not available through the SABJE, although it is funded by and should be accessible to the entire community.)

Related posts:

1. Israeli expatriates leading the way with day schools?
2. The best investment in Jewish continuity
3. The Haredisation of Jewish Education in SA
4. Needed: A Big Tent approach to worldwide Jewish education
5. Hebrew Charter Schools: Sit up and pay attention
6. Federal funding for Jewish day schools: The best of all possible worlds?
7. Getting more Jewish kids into day schools

SA Delegation at Connections 2009 in Israel

A delegation of 10 South Africans [including the writer] attended Connections 2009, held in Israel from 18 to 23 March 2009. The delegation was led by Steve Lurie, Chairperson of the SA Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ) and organised by Reeva Forman, with assistance from the SA Zionist Federation (SAZF). It included key figures in Reform Judaism in SA, such as Rabbi Robert Jacobs, spiritual leader of Bet David congregation in Sandton.

Connections 2009 – the 34th (Biennial) International Convention of The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) – took place in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and was attended by over 600 delegates, representing the Reform, Liberal, Progressive and Reconstructionist movements from more than 40 countries, serving 1,200 congregations with 1.7 million members worldwide. Delegates also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Netzer Olami, the WUPJ’s international Reform Zionist youth movement, now reportedly the world’s largest Jewish youth movement.

The packed agenda included addresses from prominent figures in Israeli and Jewish society. Newly elected mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat spoke at the opening ceremony, while Israeli President Shimon Peres’ address was the focus of the closing banquet. In between these highlights, delegates were treated to a profusion of keynote addresses, lively panel discussions, field trips, congregational visits and walking tours of Jaffa and Tel-Aviv. This was rounded out by innovative Shacharit morning worship and Shabbat evening and morning services with communities from the small but growing Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ). An important part of such events is the formal and informal “networking” which takes place, facilitated in this case by the “Regional Shuk (Market)” and related activities.

The SA delegation was also privileged to visit key sites in Jerusalem under the expert guidance of Prof. Ophir Yarden, a lecturer at Brigham Young University. This intensive learning experience covered the Old City, the Western Wall and archaeological sites around the Temple Mount, as well as the various components of the Mt Herzl complex (including both Yad Vashem and the IDF military cemetery).

While Reform Judaism is relatively small in communities such as Israel and South Africa, Progressive Judaism can justifiably claim to be the largest Jewish religious denomination worldwide. WUPJ conventions such as Connections 2009 are the ideal opportunity for adherents of Progressive Judaism in SA to connect with like-minded individuals and communities throughout the world, thereby gaining a new perspective on the role and development of Progressive Judaism. It was also the ideal opportunity for the Progressive “family” to show solidarity with the people of Israel as a whole, as well as with Progressive congregations in Israel (which - unlike their Orthodox brethren - enjoy no official support), and new growth areas such as the Former-Soviet Union (FSU).

(This article was originally prepared for (but didn’t make the pages of) the SA Jewish Report.  On my return from Israel, I was hit by a “travel bug” and preparations for moving home, so I wasn’t able to follow up as to why the piece was never published.  Here it is anyway…)