This paper explores the relationship between the teaching of history (the academic study of the past) and the teaching of heritage (meaningful stories tying people to a collective past). The research was conducted in a Jewish high school whose explicit mission involves teaching history through a US history course and heritage through an Israeli…

This paper draws on a broader qualitative study of professional learning in schools of the Peoples of the Book (Christians, Jews and Muslims) in post-colonial Australia, addressing the role that the growing number of Australian faith-based schools play in shaping a just and inclusive Australian society. By reviewing material in the public domain,…

Jonathan Woocher opens his clarion call for a new paradigm in Jewish education with a nod to Samson Benderly, founding executive of the Bureau of Jewish Education in New York (BJENY), who at the beginning of the 20th century set out to design a communal system built upon the twin pillars of progressive educational theory and practice and cultural…

During my career, I have regularly taught a survey course on the history of Jews and Judaism in the Persian, Greek, and early Roman periods (ca. 520 BCE-70 CE). Student performance in the course has long concerned and puzzled me. By the end of the course students demonstrated familiarity with the narratives and concepts we covered, but most did…

This article examines 10 textbooks used in Jewish religion classes in Russian high schools in the final decades of the 19th century. The textbooks reveal an expectation of a low level of Hebrew background, an interest in promoting the practice of prayer, and two distinct approaches to teaching Judaism. While some of the books introduce students to…

This study deals with the way in which kindergarten teachers in state religious kindergartens in Israel tell the Torah stories to children. It examines the influence of the teachers' identity, being part of the religious Zionist society, on the way in which she tells the stories. These kindergarten teachers function at a crossroads of identities.…

Gender differences in mathematics have been of particular interest over the past decades. Research has shown a disparity in mathematical proficiency between boys and girls depending on the area of mathematics tested, the age and grade of the student, and the structure of the test question (i.e., how the question is posed). Although, much of the…

This case study describes and analyzes a Jewish high school program that sought to integrate Judaic and general studies. The research focused on the question of how educators at the "Keshet" School understood curricular integration. Administrators and teachers ascribed a range of meanings to this topic. Administrators articulated a vision of…

This article extends the conversation begun by Levisohn in "A Menu of Orientations to the Teaching of Rabbinic Literature" (volume 76, issue 1 of this Journal), and continued by a number of respondents (volume 76, issue 2). After discussing several insights offered by respondents, the article takes up the question of whether the menu is accurate.…

Judaism, as a religion and a culture, places a high value on education and scholarly pursuits. As Jewish schools of varying affiliations and denominations look for ways to improve and revive programming, some are exploring the Montessori method. Based on education that follows the child, Montessori focuses on respect, independence, and preparing…

Reflection on the Holocaust is still critical today to help all educators teach their students about good and evil in the world today. In particular, reflection on the Holocaust is crucial for religious educators to help people know and name God, as well as help them deal with questions of theodicy, within their everyday life experiences. This…

Mentoring is a powerful and often effective tool in supporting the work of new and experienced teachers. It can also be a means of attracting and retaining talented teachers in schools which face challenges in staffing and turnover. In this article we describe and analyze the first 2 years of a mentoring program designed to support teacher…

For millions of American Jews, the words "Jewish education" most likely conjure images of days spent in synagogue classrooms decoding Hebrew, reciting prayers, learning holiday customs, and reading about biblical figures. This is the past, but (we hope) not the future of congregational education. This form of part-time, mostly…

In this article, the author shares a little background on the life of William W. Brickman as his adoptive father. His father's parents immigrated to the United States from Jedwabne, northern Russian Poland around 1908. His father was born on June 30, 1913 in a tenement house located at 200 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His…

The aim of this paper is to discuss two perspectives in relation to intercultural education and diversity in Sweden. One of the perspectives concerns the historical and current situation of the five Swedish national minorities with a special focus on education. The second perspective is related to religious diversity and education, as connected to…