This article, based on field research, considers how an adolescent graduate of a New York Jewish day school constructs his moral identity now that he is in the larger setting of a large public high school in metropolitan New York. Jeffrey Schochet (a pseudonym), the subject of this article, wrestles with moral issues throughout his school day,…

Anna G. Sherman (1897?-1980) taught Hebrew language at the various extension schools of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in a career that began in 1923 and lasted for nearly forty years. Her name appears on the academic registers of the institution--with respites for residence in "Eretz Yisrael," childbirth, or illness--through 1960-1964,…

In this paper, the author begins with a brief classroom scene that illustrates a number of significant features of contemporary American Jewish life. The engagement of adult students with Jewish text study is an example and outgrowth of the flourishing of programs of adult Jewish learning over the past two decades. Thousands of similar Jewish…

This paper traces the mainstreaming of American Jewish history and social studies in the American Jewish school curricula, a process which began in the 1920s and picked up momentum in the mid-late 1930s and 1940s. From the beginning, the "raison d'etre" for teaching American Jewish history and community studies was articulated in terms of…

Jewish education needs a philosophy if its practitioners are to be considered part of a "real" profession and its professors are to be thought of as having mastered a legitimate academic discipline. A strong cadre of researchers who have produced a valid and reliable body of research also is required to earn a respected place in the academy. Until…

Contrasting explanations of Jewish survival form the backdrop to this article. For Jonathan Sacks (1994) the crucial factor has been the role played by Jewish education; indeed, he claims that the demographic threat currently facing Anglo-Jewry is largely the result of the community having neglected the Jewish education of its children over the…

A survey was made of parental expectations of secular and religious teachers at a Jewish day school in a large metropolitan area located in the Ohio Valley. The school, with a student population of 108 students, employs 6 secular and 4 religious teachers. A high response rate (61 percent) was received from the parents. Findings indicated that…

Discusses and addresses the implications for Jewish education within the context of public education. Highlights a case in which a California school district tried to improve student test scores. Argues for the importance of vision and purpose as a means to change Jewish education. Includes references. (CMK)

Describes an effort by a Hebrew school and its Jewish community to encourage interaction among parents, teachers, and teenagers. Focuses on a curriculum to improve participants' ability to enact change and develop future images. Discusses the curricular procedure and images that emerged in detail. Includes references. (CMK)

Two adult and religious educators--a Muslim and a Jew--demonstrate the impact of interreligious dialogue on personal transformation and democratic social change.

This article proposes a reconfiguration of the academic study of Jewish education that would (1) emphasize the "critical" analysis of an expanded range of issues (2) draw upon a broad range of disciplines and fields of study; and (3) formulate a new research agenda. The article argues that the focus on a "critical" approach to Jewish education…

Jewish adult women increasingly are taking advantage of unique study opportunities previously closed to them. This article is the result of a survey directed at adult Jewish women in every denomination who came back to the classroom as adults. It aims to assess why they returned, what their educational expectations are, and how those expectations…

Drawing on material gathered during case studies of a Jewish and a Catholic secondary school, I introduce a number of different stories from the staff, and students in the schools and from myself as the researcher. I argue that these can be understood as forms of dialogue in which voices can be heard in some detail. They throw light on various,…

The point of departure for this article is James Fowler's conception of the "master story." In "master stories," culture-heroes are portrayed as engaging in certain archetypal activities. These activities are then considered paradigmatic and life-orienting by future generations who adhere to that culture. In keeping with this line of thinking, we…

Jewish schools, before statehood in 1948, were run by political parties. The "General Stream" (1913), formed by the General Zionist and Revisionist parties, agreed to have secular subjects taught in European-like schools, and to forego formal religious instruction. The "Religious Stream" (1920), formed by Zionist religious…