Newspaper Page Text
Friday, February 15, 1957
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Page Five
Education Emphasis S
On Febuary 24 and 25
Lay Participation
In Jewish Education
By Judah Pilch
Excerpt from article appearing in the Fall 1956 Issue of JEWISH
EDUCATION published by the National Council for Jewish Edu
cation, with the assistance of the American Association for Jewish
Education. The author is the Executive Board Director of the
American Association.
In our days we all agree that
unless the entire Jewish com
munity appreciates the need for
a continuous, effective Jewish ed
ucational process from childhood
to young adulthood, the hope for
the future of Jewish life and cul
ture in America is very small
indeed. But how. can the general
public react favorably to the need
for continuous intensive educa
tion if its leaders are not yet
aware of it?
Hence the great significance of
a new orientation with regard to
the function of the layman in
Jewish education. It is an open
secret that there is general agree-
men that the program of the Jew
ish school in America needs re
vision and reconstruction. This
should be undertaken in an at
mosphere of free inquiry. Any
exploration of the need for chang
es in the present-day curriculum
of the Jewish school is, of ne
cessity, related to the larger prob
lem of what is Jewish life in
America in modern times and
what it ought to be. The clari
fication of all these issues calls
for careful thinking and delibera
tions, thought-provoking discus
sions, freedom of expression and
earnest desire on the part of all
people to want to diregard vested
interests and conventions. In or
der to involve the general public
in a consideration of basic issues
in Jewish education, it is of great
significance to have the lay lead
ers become concerned with the
basic functions of their schools,
namely the educational object
ives. We cannot hope to improve
the status of Jewish education
qualitatively unless our lay lead
ers in Jewish education are ex
posed to the different schools of
thought in Jewish life in America
and have an opportunity to see
their role in the light of the de
sirable goals to be attained for
the Jewish community at large.
Reorienting the lay leader with
regard to his duties and responsi
bilities to Jewish education calls
for ardous labor on the part of all
professionals.
The time has come to engage
in a great deal of “philosophiz
ing” on the philosophy of Jev/ish
life and its relation to the schools.
The participation of lay leaders
and groups of parents in these
chats is of paramount significant.
It is important to hold workshops
and seminars everywhere in the
country to interpret, discuss and
clarify the place of the Jewish
school in the general scheme of
Jewish life in America. These
discussions may bring to the fore
revolutionary ideas. All revolu
tionary ideas constitute a chal
lenge to intelligent laymen. The
writer of these lines is convinced
that most of our laymen - by and
large intelligent people, although
deficient in knowledge of original
sources - if given the opportunity
and the basic training in the Jew
ish school content, could greatly
contribute to the clarification of
all problems confronting Ameri
can Jewish education. ,
In general education we now
have citizen’s committees whose
function it is to discuss curricul
ar problems, as well as questions
of personnel, plant, etc. These
citizens’ committees, in the course
of their deliberations, learn them
selves and subsequently teach
their friends. In our own school
situation, similar attempts should
be made on the local, regional
and national levels. The lay lead
ers in the American Jewish com
munity ought to know in detail
the real meaning of such concepts
as Klal Yisrael, Israel-Diaspora
relations, the need for continuity
in Jewish education; what is im
plied in the idea to Judaize the
Jewish home; why Hebrew is the
life-blood of Jewish education;
and the old-new concept of Kol
Yisrael Haverim. The lay leaders
could not only understand the re
lationships between the school and
the community, but could also ap
preciate the place of the Jewish
school as the frontier in solidify
ing and advancing creative Jew
ish living.
It has been my feeling for some
time that no matter how impor
tant it is to have our laymen give
us the means to finance our edu
cational program and to maintain
its steady growth and develop
ment, it is equally important to
have their personal involvement
in purely educational matters.
Even certain aspects of curricul
um construction, which are ordi
narily within the purview of the
professional, could readily become
the concern of a layman as well.
The broader phases of education
can be discussed with lay commit
tees to the advantage of both
professional educators and laity.
It is being done in general edu
cation and in some of our own
schools it is now a common prac
tice. The "non-professional partic
ipant in a project of curriculum
making or remaking usually be
comes the ambassador of the
school to the public at large. His
interpretation of all new depart
ures is more frequently accept
able to the public. The profes
sional working with the layman
soon finds that their mutuality
of interests and joint efforts for
the common good are encourag
ing and enlightening to both.
Needless to say, all other pro
grammatic questions, such as
school celebrations, age of admis
sion, requirements for graduation,
co-curricular activities, testing,
etc. are areas of work that can
be done jointly with the lay com
mittees.
Activating the laity to partici
pate in real educational tasks is
the need of the hour. From the
individual school committees and
local community leader to the
boards of national agencies a con
certed day-by-day effort must be
made to involve the baale-batim
in all affairs that pertain to edu
cation. We could then not only
make room for challenging ideas
and long-range measures for the
improvement of Jewish education
in this country, but we would do
away with the over-confidence
and satisfaction with the status
quo which hovers over our com
munities. We would clear the air
of this atmosphere of smugness
and make way for enlightenment
and creative planning along new
er and more stimulating lines of
thought.
In all ages when enlightened
laymen became the real partners
of the professionals in the build
ing of schools and in the revision
of school programs to suit the
changing time - the cause of Jew
ish education was advanced. The
Jewish community responded to
the dynamics of the situation and
problems found their ultimate
solutions. I believe that our own
situation in this country is no
exception. Would we but have
the vision and the courage to mo
tivate real lay participation in
Jewish education!
Background Data About
Rabbi Hyman Chanover
Rabbi Hyman Chanover will be
the guest of the Atlanta Jewish
Community on February 24 and
25. He will be the consultant and
guest speaker for the Jewish
Education Day Workshops.
The public is invited to hear him
on Sunday evening at the A.A.
Educational Center.
Rabbi Hyman Chanover is Di
rector of the Department of Field
Services and Personnel of the
American Association for Jewish
Education. He is Executive Sec
retary of the National Board of
License which certifies teachers
and supervisory personnel in Jew
ish schools. Has now assumed re-
ponsibility for organization and
operation of National Committee
on Teacher Education and Wel
fare.
Since 1952, he has been chair
man of the Committee on Foun
dation Schools of the United Syn
agogue Commission on Jewish
Education, which serves the early
childhood units affiliated with the
United Synagogue of America and
stimulates the development of ed
ucational programs for the very
young.
Rabbi Chanover is an associate-
editor of “The Synagogue School,”
quarterly educational journal of
the United Synagogue, and author
of several highly acclaimed pub
lications; among them, “Planning
for Threes to Eights in the He
brew School”' - a manual for
teachers and administrators of
early childhood programs; “The
Jewish School, Your Child, and
you” - a guidebook for parents;
“Blessed Event” - a popularly
written handbook for expectant
Jewish parents; and a series of
illustrated holiday booklets for
the young Jewish child. He is al
so co-author of “My First Book
of Prayer,” soon to be released
RABBI HYMAN CHANOVER
by the United Synagogue.
Rabbi Chanover has been a
member of the staff of the Ameri
can Association for Jewish Edu
cation since 1954. Previously, he
held important pulpits in Phila
delphia and Albany. In the lat
ter community, he was spiritual
leader of the largest Conservative
Synagogue in Northeast New York.
During his incumbency, both con
gregations were recipients of Uni
ted Synagogue biennial awards for
outstanding achievements in Jew
ish education.
Rabbi Chanover was ordained
at the Jewish Theological Semi
nary of America in 1945. He holds
graduate degrees from the Se
minary, and from the Teachers
College of Temple University,
Philadelphia. He received his
B.A. at Yeshiva College in 1941
and his B.R.E. from the Teach
ers Institute of Yeshiva Universi
ty in 1939.
et for Atlanta
THE JEWISH SCHOOL,
YOUR CHILD and YOU
By Hyman Chanover and Zalmen Slesinger
This article contains excerpts from a pamphlet published by two
staff members of the American Association for Jewish Education.
Hyman Chanover is the director of its Field Services and Personnel
and Zalmen Slesinger is its director of the Department of Peda
gogics and Curricular Materials.
Ever since your child’s birth,
you have been not only his pa
rent but his teacher. Your instruc
tion has touched upon many areas
of his development - his physical
and intellectual needs, his emo
tional and social requirements.
You have been trying to teach
him how to get along with others.
You have been trying to guide him
into ways and habits that would
help him grow as a wholesome
and happy person.
As a Jewish parent, in real
sense you have also been the
first teacher to guide your child
in the development of his person
ality as a Jew. You have said
things, done things which have
a Jewish quality. Some you have
probably done consciously, in a
planned way, and some uncon-
siously. In either case, you have
been trying to help your child
relate himself to the facts that
he is a Jew.
What has prompted you to want
your child to grow up as a whole
some human being. You want him
to be a well-adjusted person who
accepts himself and lives at ease
in the world about him. And you
realize, that having been born
into the Jewish group, he must
accept his Jewishness and his
membership in this group nat
urally, if he is to develop happily.
This aim, to help the child
grow in his acceptance and ap
preciation of his Jewishness, is
the goal of Jewish education. Or
thodox, Conservative, Reform and
secular Jews may differ in their
formulation of Jewish values and
in their emphasis upon certain
understandings, but they all agree
upon this as an aim of Jewish
education.
You, as a parent, have made a
beginning in this direction - but
only a beginning. The home alone
cannot do the full educational
job that is involved. The child
also needs thfe experience of a
good formal education. Here, the
Jewish school must come in.
In a Jewish school, your child
will come in contact with other
Jewish children. This contact is
important to ,his personality
growth. It strengthens his sense
of security in his Jewishness.
The Jewish school will provide
your child with group experiences
in Jewish living. He not only will
be together with other children,
but will study, celebrate Jewish
festivals, and participate in im
portant Jewish events together
with them. These experiences, in
the setting of a group, are cal
culated to deepen his satisfaction
in being part of the Jewish peo
ple.
Finally, the Jewish school can
give a child - in a more organ
ized way than is normally pos
sible in the home - the informa
tion and skills that are essential
to an adequate appreciation of
Jewish life and culture on his lev
el.
There must be harmony in out
look and direction between' the
home and the school, for the
school to be fully effective. When
the Jewish values and experiences
offered by the school are rein
forced by the home - both in
attitude and practices - they are
more likely to become an integral
part of the child’s life.
A lack of consistency between
parent and teacher not only vi
tiates the learning experience in
the Jewish school, but may even
have harmful effects upon the
child’s personality development.
A conflict of authority and al
legiance creates confusion in a
child’s mind, the result of which
may be a loss of confidence in
the teacher or the parent or both.
Parents can participate in three
areas - at home, at school, and
in the community.
The most important contribu
tion you can make towards your
child’s Jewish education is to cre
ate right in your own home a
climate that is conducive to his
or her Jewish development.
The Jewishness of your home
may be expressd in many ways,
depending of course, upon your
personal religiouss and cultural
outlook. Some of these ways are:
giving your home a Jewish ap
pearance physically; observing the
Sabbath, festivals, and Jewish
rituals; actively identifying your
self with the Synagogue, Israel
and Jewish community life; con
tributing to Jewish cultural caus
es.
To take their rightful place a-
mong all your child’s interests,
these experiences should be in
troduced naturally and joyously.
When they are carried out in an
artificial manner, children easily
detect their unnaturalness and re
act accordingly.
Don’t leave the business of cre
ating a warm Jewish home at
mosphere to chance.
Aside from assuring favorable
conditions in your home for your
child’s growth as a Jew, you
have a responsibility to share ac
tively in the development of the
program of the Jewish school in
which he is enrolled. Your con
tribution to the school can be
made in various ways:
The parent who wishes to bring
his efforts on behalf of his child’s
Jewish education to full fruition
must be active on several fronts.
He not only must provide a prop
er home environment for his
child’s Jewish upbringing and co
operate whole-heartedly with the
school but must be concerned with
the educational welfare of the
total community.
The effects of good or poor
education are community-wide.
Poor educational opportunities
and improper school practices in
one part of a community inevi
tably affect other parts.
No conscientious parent, there
fore, can rest content merely with
working to improve the program
of the school with which he per
sonally is identified. He must see
to it that the best possible con
ditions for growth are made avail
able to all Jewish children in the
community.
If there is a central agency for
Jewish education in your com
munity - a Bureau, Board, or
Council - that agency will be car
rying the major responsibility for
achieving good Jewish education
throughout the community.
You, as a parent, should give
the Bureau of Jewish education
all the help you can.
In general education, we have
learned to recognize that home,
school and community work to
gether. The need for such cooper
ation is even greater in Jewish
life. Developing healthy Jewish
personalities is far easier when
the commuunity climate reinforc
es the work of the Jewish school.
For this reason, you, as a pa
rent, have a vital stake in the
affairs of the various organiza
tions, institutions and agencies
that set the cultural tone of your
community.
Through your affiliation with
these organizations, you can in
fluence them to lend a helping
hand in raising standards in
Jewish education, and in provid
ing adequate religious, social and
cultural facilities of all Jewish
age groups.