Moving the Mountain

I've been thinking about the webcast that I saw yesterday (recorded from the live webcast last week)in which Jewish educators met to discuss the findings of the PEW report Portrait of Jewish Americans.

In essence, what the speakers were saying was "the numbers don't look great but let's concentrate on the people who are still part of the Jewish community and build on that."

That's an important point. Jewish educators work hard to pass on Judaism to the next generation and it's discouraging to hear the statistics. But if teachers are prepared to focus on the majority of Jews who continue to feel that Judaism is an important part of their lives, and who do want to grow Jewishly, they can succeed.

I would have liked to have added another question to the webcast. How do we, as Jewish educators, meet the needs of individuals and families who don't come to the Jewish institutions? How can we bring the institutions to them?

As the study indicated, not all of the unaffiliated families want to connect to the Jewish community, but many do. Reasons for disinterest in affiliation vary. Some individuals intermarried and subsequently didn't feel comfortable within the Jewish community. Others moved to rural areas in which they were unable to find a community environment.  There are numerous other reasons for families' lack of affiliation but the study did indicate that, even among Jews for whom Judaism did not play a significant role in their lives, many identify as Jews and want to maintain a connection with their Jewish heritage. It may not be 100% but we're still talking about thousands of families and we have to think about how to facilitate their continued engagement, on any level.

I was thinking about the situation this evening while sitting in on an online Hebrew school class. The JconnecT 2013-2014 season has launched and the classes alternate between Hip Hop Hebraics and Contemporary Jewish Issues. The students, aged 11 -14, participate in JconnecT as a complementary Jewish experience that allows them to explore Jewish history, values, culture and traditions in an open atmosphere of dynamic Jewish learning.

Today's class was an engaging look at Jewish Ethics. The instructor posted a list of ABCs and asked the students to write words next to each letter that related to elements of ethics.

The class then discussed the meaning of ethics and how it applies to modern-day life. The instruction moved over to a linoboard where several different assignments awaited the students. Each assignment included a question about a real-life or fictionalized issue of ethics in which the students were asked to decide how to act, with references to Jewish texts and scholarly writings which relate to Jewish ethics.

The students were given time to review the issues and add their comments and thoughts, after which the class concentrated on a few of the dilemmas, such as the question of if and when it's OK to cheat. The instructor presented the students with various scenarios and asked them "when is it OK to cheat? Are there any times that you can cheat?"  Once again, the students were forced to review their stand and decide what was ethical, both according to Jewish standards and their own standards of behavior.

At the end of the lesson the instructor polled the students, asking them which subjects -- military ethics, cheating, gossip, respecting elders, etc -- they wanted to delve into more deeply in future classes.

For the entire 45-minute class the students were involved in the subject matter. The online tools that the instructor used ensured that students didn't have to "wait their turn" to express an opinion or ask a question -- the action never stopped as students reviewed the material and posted their comments as they maintained a high level of interactive engagement throughout the lesson.

If Moshe and Miriam can't come to the mountain, online learning offers a partial answer to the question of how the Jewish community can bring the mountain to Moshe and Miriam. 

PEW Study Opens Prospects for Jewish Educational Professionals

A recent panel discussion, moderated by the Jewish Education Project, highlighted what the results of the 2013 PEW study "A Portrait of Jewish Americans" mean for Jewish educators.

Jonathan Woocher of the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, Cyd Weissman, Director of Innovation Congregational Learning at the Jewish Education Project and Michelle Lynn-Sachs, researcher and consultant in Jewish education at the Union for Reform Judaism/Hebrew Union College gathered online to present their assessment of the PEW study results to numerous Jewish educators from all Jewish streams throughout North America.

Jonathan Woocher began the discussion by summarizing his assessment of the survey results as "don't panic." He noted that, although the data hasn't been fully analyzed, it's just as important to look at what hasn't been said as what has been said. He believes that the survey shows that the Jewish community is showing resilience to a changing world, including a positive disposition to Judaism among many unaffiliated Jews. While Jews of "no religion" and intermarried Jews show a lower percentage of feelings of belonging to the Jewish religion, the majority of those Jews still express a connection and it's the responsibility of Jewish educators to take advantage of that and build on it.

Mr. Woocher said that we have to accept that there are some Jews who are not interested in Jewish expression or involvement but the majority want to be enaged. Educators must find the strategies to engage those who do want to connect.

Cyd Weissman discussed the importance of reaching out to the community for discussions and ideas about how to "make meaning of the text" of the study -- how to make Judaism more meaningful and real in the lives of community members.

In particular, Ms. Weissman pointed to the fact that there are 1.8 children in America who are living with one Jewish parent. Although the study showed that only ½ of these children are being raised exclusively as Jews, the majority of them have a Jewish "mentor" in their lives -- a parent, grandparent or other individual -- who can weave the relationship that will influence the children's Jewish identity.

Michelle Lynn-Sachs reiterated Ms. Weissman's comments about engaging community members. Educators can crowdsource to collect thoughts and ideas about how to make Judaism more meaningful and accessible for the community. She emphasized the importance of each community concentrating on its own individual needs.

Ms. Lynn-Sachs reiterated some of Mr. Woocher's suggestions about how to base long-term educational planning on the positive aspects of the survey. The survey shows that, although some Jews are unaffiliated, most identify positively with their Judaism. She asked educators to consider how to engage these people on their own terms. How can educators identify what it is that makes people proud to be part of the Jewish people and build on those elements?  

For online educators, these insights present a challenge that, in some ways, elearning programs may be best-poised to meet.

Individuals who are knowledgeable and engaged with a Jewish community are likely to already be involved in Jewish learning. For people who have a tenuous relationship with their Judaism, however, finding a Jewish learning program for their kids that is accessible, unintimidating and welcoming can be a challenge.

Online learning enables Jewish youngsters to join together with other students who come from similar circumstances.  Classes meets in a friendly environment that encourages Jewish exploration. Jewish distance learning provides the warmth of a Jewish classroom together with hospitable atmosphere in which the students can interact with their Jewish learning on their own terms.

The 21^st century presents many tests to the Jewish community and 21^st century technology may help the community meet these challenges.