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PAGE 40 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 3, 1986
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Atlanta Jewish education coming of age
faking a break.
by Amy B Falk
Our Jewish children are still
flinging their bundle of biblical
and Hebrew books into the back
seat of the family car on late Mon
day and Wednesday afternoons or
mid-Sunday mornings. And most
parents still ask, “So, what did you
learn today in Hebrew School?”
The child stares aimlessly through
the windshield while trying to find
a comfortable position for the ride
home, then shrugs his shoulders,
and unenthusiastically murmurs
“Oh, nothing.”
Well, kids will be kids, and par
ents will continue to utter their
famous question, but religious
school can be exciting and enjoya
ble. Good things are happening
inside our daily and congregational
Hebrew schools. Enrollment is up.
"The Atlanta area has 4,000 young
people enrolled in some kind of
Jewish education and the numbers
are climbing,” says Leon Spotts,
executive director of the Atlanta
Bureau of Jewish Education.
“With the proliferation of Jew
ish schools in and around Atlanta,
a more sophisticated approach to
teaching Jewish education, better
use of innovative educational re
sources, and increased funding from
the United Jewish Foundation
(U JF), Jewish education in Atlanta
is surviving,” elaborates Spotts.
For most of our adult Jewish
community, memories of Hebrew
school are faded except for thejact
that most found it boring and
extremely time consuming, but we
went because Mom and Dad made
us go probably because their par
ents made it a ritual with them. So,
Hebrew school attendance has be
come one of those “do’s” in parent
ing. It’s normal.
But gone are the days when kids
must sit in the synagogue’s class
rooms yawning repeatedly, and
twiddling their thumbs. The cur
riculum has changed, cooperation
between formal and informal edu
cation allows for more educational
creativity, and teachers are hired
based on experience and qualifica
tions—no more volunteering.
Most congregational Hebrew
schools have reorganized their cur
ricula to include Hebrew language
and literature, Bible studies, Jew
ish life and religious practices, Jew
ish social studies, and prayer and
synagogue skills. “There has been a
realization that kids need to expe
rience Judaism,” says Dana Scott,
Ahavath Achim’s youth director.
Many communities have even begun
Saturday MorningPrograms(SMP)
so that our youth become direct
participants in prayer and begin to
understand its significance.
Discussions usually follow ser
vices, and kids are asking relevant
questions about Judaism such as:
“Is it ethical for a consenting Jew
ish adult to indicate on his driver’s
license that he wants to donate a
bodily organ like a liver or a heart
to someone who might survive just
a little longer?” or "Is there really
a God?” Our kids are interacting
with one another on various levels
like never before in Hebrew school
settings. Minneapolis, St. Louis
and Los Angeles are some other
cities that have also taken innova
tive steps to furthering the dynam
ics of SMP.
A really big idea in Jewish edu
cation is catching like wildfire—
the kallah. “It’s an informal educa
tional experience that strongly en
courages our kids to practice pieces
of Jewish knowledge, and internal
ize it,” adds Ms. Scott
She elaborates on the idea in the
words of Rabbi Bernard Lipnick
from B’nai Amoona in St. Louis
who developed kallah and pub
lished a book about it entitled “An
Experiment That Works.” “It’s the
creation of a small, cohesive, social
enclave in which the student locates
himself psychologically and emo
tionally, as well as physically,
which constitutes a powerful in
strument for transmission of Jew
ish culture and religion.”
Jewish educators in our congre
gational schools are much more
specialized due to the fact that
more degrees are being offered in
Jewish education from seminaries
and top colleges like Emory and
Brown University. Roberta L.
Louis, director of education at The
Temple, received her training at
the Hebrew University in school
administration and curriculum
development.
“There is a whole new genera
tion of American-born Jewish edu
cators who are making a definite
difference in our schools,” says
Ms. Louis. Principals and teachers
are finally combining their thoughts
and are defining better curriculum.
For example, there are ninth grade
Tzedaka programs. One-week ses
sions are held inside the classrooms;
the next is spent on field study like
at the Jewish Tower.
Jewish educators are growing by
leaps and bounds. Attendance at
conventions is proof. At West
Georgia College in August 1987,
CAJE (the Coalition on Alterna
tives in Jewish Education) has at
tracted the best and brightest of
our teachers. Four hundred ses
sions are under construction. The
focus is where is Jewish education
going? “It’s like a trade show,” says
Ms. Louis. “All the wares on Jew
ish education and how they can b«.
used effectively in the classroom
“Atlanta is unique,” says Richard
Becker, education director at Temple
Emanu -El. “It’s all tied to the com
munity. The progress of our reli
gious community is possible because
of the continuous efforts that pro
vide the driving force to make the
Torah come alive. Educators are
showing and demonstrating our
history through present examples
that children can easily identify
with.”
Stagnant, non-progressive, bor
ing, non-creative are all words that
have been swept under a thick,
padded carpet. Jewish education
and its leaders are making great
strides to be more innovative. “Be
fore jumping into Talmud and
Gamorah, we have to entice our
kids,” suggests Ms. Scott. “We are
still competing with afternoon
football, basketball and ballet
classes.”
Most Jewish educators would
agree that we must grab our kids’
attention, allow them to ask all of
their inquisitive questions, discuss
social issues and ethics. Judaism is
apropos to daily life. The present
and future of Jewish education in
Atlanta is optimistic both in cur
riculum strategies and number of
children enrolled. The year looks
good.
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The Temple Primary Hebrew students make a grab for the crayons.