“Are there assumptions – correct or incorrect – in Jewish communal life that ‘the community’ is supposed to be the principal fiduciary in the financial needs of Jewish households?”
I’ve been thinking about the implied economy in educational institutions, especially as it is understood in the financial aid/tuition assistance process. Ostensibly, when a person or family requests financial aid or a tuition reduction, they are primarily driven by their own financial needs. At the same time, there always has to be an implicit trade-off […] continued…
“In Israel, the women’s learning movement…was not viewed as threatening, but rather as a natural outgrowth of women’s changing position in the world”
In Israel, the women’s learning movement preceded the Orthodox feminist movement. It was not viewed as threatening, but rather as a natural outgrowth of women’s changing position in the world. [In the United States], some of the militant statements [made] as Orthodox “feminism” brought many rabbis and lay people to circle the wagons. That never […] continued…
“Where are the Torah graphic novels?”
For many people, the texts of Torah learning are themselves the biggest obstacles. They are dense, difficult, often unpunctuated and written in a foreign language. Where are the Torah graphic novels? Where are the books of halacha, Mishna and Talmud that communicate the depth of our tradition with illustrations and stories, that can be absorbed […] continued…
“Which brand of Judaism has the most credibility on which topic? How did you know?”
I asked the new president of a growing synagogue about their brand. “Young couples are our brand,” she said. “Young couples with children.” “That’s not your brand,” I said. “That’s your target. Create a brand whose reason for being appeals to young couples. Let them own a concept instead of joining the synagogue.” Consider: 1) […] continued…
“The prevalence of “cafeteria Judaism” is part of what frustrates so many Jewish professionals in their search for how to promote a greater interest in Judaism among their constituencies”
The prevalence of “cafeteria Judaism” is part of what frustrates so many Jewish professionals in their search for how to promote a greater interest in Judaism among their constituencies. In my conversations with Jews from a variety of backgrounds and levels of education, I began to notice a shift in understanding when I replaced the […] continued…
“We must promote rigorous study with honest and critical analysis, making it accessible to all and moving away from unchecked centralized rabbinic authority”
We must promote rigorous study with honest and critical analysis, making it accessible to all and moving away from unchecked centralized rabbinic authority. This move would necessarily subvert communal hierarchical structures that leave others, especially women, powerless and alienated. Everyone, who so desires, must be granted authentic access to the true law and true narrative. […] continued…
“We are ingenious in fund-raising, which is good; we are shipwrecked in raising our children, which is tragic”
We are ingenious in fund-raising, which is good; we are shipwrecked in raising our children, which is tragic. We give of our wealth to many good causes; we lose our substance in abandoning our children to fetishism. I wish we would give priority to teaching and inspiring our children to live as Jews. We may […] continued…
A Significant Challenge in teaching rabbinic and biblical texts to children and young adults
“Rabbinic texts and biblical texts were initially written for an elite, adult community,” he said. “To create a pathway for children and young adults to immerse themselves in this world, and feel a sense of ownership is the real challenge.” Rabbi Andrew Davids quoted in Hannah Dreyfus, “What Should Day School Students Know, And When They […] continued…
Teaching Hafrashat-Challah and Tzenius should not be so different…
When I poll Bais Yaakov graduates about their emotional associations with certain mitzvos, I often find that they feel very warm about the mitzvah of taking challah and very cold about the mitzvah of tzenius. Do we teach these two mitzvos differently? And if we do approach these mitzvos differently, and one approach produces long-term […] continued…
“to be Jewishly educated today, he or she must know the history of the past 300 years”
Given what we now know about this pervasive sense among secular Jews, it is time to invest more seriously in educational endeavors that reinforce it and build upon it. Simply put, for a Jew to be Jewishly educated today, he or she must know the history of the past 300 years. We must learn and […] continued…
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