NRJE Newsletter 43, Spring 2015/5775

ADDITIONAL COPIES MAY BE OBTAINED by contacting Melissa Zalkin Stollman Network for Research in Jewish Education 4613 N. University Drive, #348 | Coral Springs, FL 33067 513.815.NRJE (6753) | nrjecoordinator@gmail.com

NEWSLETTER OF THE Number 43

Spring 2015/5775

Newness and Our Newsletter

NETWORK EXECUTIVE

EDITOR'S COLUMN

JONATHAN KRASNER Chair

MICHELLE LYNN-SACHS | michelle.lynn@nyu.edu

BEN JACOBS Secretary

T

his edition of our newsletter feels especially springlike to me. It’s full of newness, possibility, and growth in our field and in the work of our members. A new format for our annual conference. A new graduate program.

New accessibility to data and new insights from research initiatives.

And of course, new positions, new dissertations, and new publications.

One reason I appreciate our newsletter is that this format allows us to see our individual work and our news in one collection, which gives it a different – and more powerful – feel than the same submissions would have MICHELLE LYNN-SACHS had if only in a listserv or a series of Facebook posts. Right now, I’m encouraged and renewed by the recurring theme of newness in our field. As always, thank you to our members for contributing and for sharing their ideas, news, and updates with us all.

T A B L E 1

Editor’s Column: Newness and Our Newsletter

2 Reflections from the NRJE Chair 3 The 2015 Joint Conference on Research in Jewish Education 4 Journal of Jewish Education Update – Spring 2015 4 CASJE’s Jewish Educational Leadership Research Initiative 5 Research Update from JData: Partnerships and the Power of Data

O F

ELI SCHAAP Treasurer

BENJAMIN LEWIS Graduate Student Liaison

LAUREN APPLEBAUM 2014 Conference Co-Chair

MICHELLE LYNN-SACHS Newsletter Editor

LISA GRANT Past Network Chair

HELENA MILLER Senior Editor, Journal of Jewish Education

JONAH HASSENFELD Graduate Student Liaison

EVIE ROTSTEIN 2015 Conference Co-Chair

CAROL INGALL NRJE Awards Chair and Past Network Chair ARI Y. KELMAN - 2015 Conference Co-Chair JEFF KRESS Immediate Past Network Chair

MELISSA ZALKIN STOLLMAN Coordinator Network for Research in Jewish Education 4613 N. University Drive, #348 Coral Springs, FL 33067 513-815-NRJE (6753)

ARTICLES FOR THE FALL 2015 NEWSLETTER WILL BE DUE ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2015.

C O N T E N T S

6 News from the Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at JTS 7 Colloquium on The Changing Face of the American Jewish Family 8 News from George Washington University 8 News from Hebrew College 9

JON LEVISOHN 2014 Conference Co-Chair

News from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, Brandeis University

9 Research Update: Adult Jewish learning 10

Job Posting from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

11 Book Review: Jewish Civic Values in Israel 11 News from our Members

NEWSLETTER DESIGN Nicole Ray www.nicoleray.com

REFLECTIONS

FROM THE NRJE CHAIR JONATHAN KRASNER | jbkraz@gmail.com

A

s I write this, the NRJE is entering the final stages of a yearlong strategic planning process. Last fall, at the direction of the board, I convened a ten-member task force, cochaired by Carol Ingall and Lisa Grant, to guide the process. The team included Bethamie Horowitz, Jon Levisohn, Moshe Krakowski, Arielle Levites, Alex Pomson, Eli Schapp, Michael Shire, and Matt Williams.

Working closely with Marion Gribetz, our consultant, at a planning retreat in November 2014, the task force deliberated on the evolving role of the NRJE in promoting research and advancing the field, and identified JONATHAN KRASNER a list of opportunities and concerns for the future. Over the next few months Marion conducted a survey of our members and interviewed select stakeholders. She presented her findings to the task force, which will in turn make recommendations to the board.

At this point I can only speculate about the task force’s ultimate recommendations and the reception that they will receive from the board, but I can share with you some of Marion’s more salient findings.

Some of these findings may be surprising while others simply reify conventional wisdom. Most importantly, they capture the challenges that lie ahead of us in the next 5-10 years. I have no doubt that the task force and the board will find innovative ways of addressing procedural and structural concerns like the need for greater transparency, or a more up-to-date communications strategy. Of greater concern are the existential challenges that we face. Three are uppermost in my mind: •

First, the academic field of Jewish education research is in a more precarious position than it was twenty years ago.

The influx of foundation money into Jewish education has not resulted in an overall growth of permanent, full-time academic positions. A modest increase in the number of positions at secular universities has been more than offset by shrinkage in the faculties of the seminaries and the decimation of the Hebrew teacher colleges. Meanwhile, teaching, advising and administrative demands on remaining faculty have grown, leaving them less time for active involvement in professional organizations.

•

Second, we are at the cusp of a generational changing of the guard. Many of our founding members have recently retired or are nearing retirement. Normally, this inevitable process would not be cause for alarm. Unfortunately, the demographic challenges facing the wider American Jewish community are taking their toll on the field. Save for the Hasidic and yeshivish communities, the American Jewish community is shrinking, affiliation rates are in decline, and fewer young people are interested in careers in Jewish education on either the practitioner or the academic levels.

As a result, our membership is getting older.

•

Finally, as our organization has grown we’ve also become more diverse. Many of us are working in schools, non-profit organizations, and consulting firms, as well as universities and seminaries. While the diversity has enriched our conversations and perspectives, we have not as yet adequately confronted the implications of the changing makeup of our membership on our mission. Should we be doing a better job of balancing the needs and desires of researchers and practitioners and fostering more connections between research and educational practice?

NRJE members • feel warmly disposed towards the organization and appreciate the annual conference and the Journal of Jewish Education.

• want the organization to use technology to facilitate connections.

• support the organization’s recent efforts to provide mentoring and “career-pathing” for our student and early career members.

• want more organizational transparency.

• are eager to see the organization tap the skills of our retired members.

• are embarking on an increasingly diverse array of career paths, with only a minority in traditional university-based academic positions • would like to see the Journal raise its publication standards and enhance its reputation for promoting serious scholarship in the wider fields of education research and Jewish studies.

• are greying; a plurality of our members are between the ages of 55-64.

• reside disproportionately in the northeastern United States, between Boston and Washington, D.C.

spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

There are no pat answers to these challenges. Yet how we address them over the coming months and years will surely affect the health and wellbeing of the NRJE and the wider field of Jewish education research. As the strategic planning process moves to the board level, we welcome your input. Feel free to contact me via email at jkrasner@ brandeis.edu . I look forward to providing you with a further update at our annual meeting at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, in June.

2

The 2015 Joint Conference on Research in Jewish Education June 9–11, 2015 Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion New York Held in collaboration with the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry, the Conference will offer a unique opportunity to to engage with educational phenomena in all their manifestations, settings, and contexts, and to place our engagements with Jewish education in broader scholarly and social contexts, in an effort to continue challenging and advancing our field.

The conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in research-based conversations that will address contemporary issues, pressing concerns, and new opportunities in Jewish education and the communities in which it takes place. We are looking forward to panels, workshops and conversations that address more traditional domains like curriculum, teaching and learning, schools, synagogues, and camps, in addition to research on broader questions of policy, financing, leadership, popular culture, museums, journalism, politics, and social media.

We are also happy to announce our second annual Emerging Scholar Seminar, which will be held on the day prior to the Conference. Organized in conjunction with Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education (CASJE) and the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, it will provide an opportunity for mentoring, research, workshopping and discussion between senior and emerging scholars in the field.

REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!

www.nrje.org

spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

3

Journal of Jewish Education Update Spring 2015 SUE KITTNER HUNTTING | journalofjed@aol.com

▶ The Journal is delighted that Helena Miller is its new Senior Editor. Helena stepped in this past winter and has done a marvelous job riding the learning curve while managing our two themed issues. Helena is the Director of Research, Evaluation and Community Israel Engagement at United Jewish Israel Appeal. She holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Education from the University of London and is a past recipient of the 2012 Max M. Fisher Prize for Jewish Education in the Diaspora. She is past editor of the NRJE Newsletter, has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal and co-edited, along with past NRJE chairs Dr. Lisa Grant (HUC-JIR) and Dr. Alex Pomson (Rosov Consulting), the International Handbook of Jewish Education (Springer 2011). Welcome Helena! ▶ We also welcome the Journal’s newly constituted group of Associate Editors and Editorial Board: Associate Editors Sharon Avni Barry Holtz Bethamie Horowitz Michelle Lynn-Sachs Alex Pomson Joe Reimer Sarah Tauber

Editorial Board Hanan Alexander Isa Aaron David Bryfman Stuart Charmé Steven M. Cohen Sandy Edwards Sharon Feiman-Nemser Eli Gottlieb Lisa Grant

Miriam Heller Stern Susan Kardos Ari Kelman Yael Kidron Moshe Krakowski Jonathan Krasner Jeff Kress Daniel Pekarsky Ted Sasson

Michael Shire Barbara Lerner Spectre Harold Wechsler Jack Wertheimer Sivan Zakai Michael Zeldin

▶ Although somewhat delayed, we have spread the Israel Education papers accepted for publication over the first two issues of Volume 81 (2015). Many thanks to Bethamie Horowitz and Helena Miller for managing that complex task ▶ Reminder: If you are considering submitting a manuscript for publication in the Journal, please first consult our Instructions to Authors on the Journal’s website. If the form and content requirements for submission are not followed your manuscript may be returned. ▶ Transitions bring many challenges. Thank you to our board members, authors and reviewers for weathering the past few months as we all get up to speed as quickly as possible.

CASJE’s Jewish Educational Leadership Research Initiative MARK SCHNEIDER mschneider@air.org | YAEL KIDRON ykidron@air.org | ARIELA GREENBERG agreenberg@air.org

Last fall, the Coalition for Applied Studies in Jewish Education’s (CASJE) selected a team led by American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an inaugural research project in Jewish Educational Leadership. This study focuses on effective leadership practices in Jewish day schools. Effective educational leadership has long-lasting effects on students and staff, but has never been examined systematically in a Jewish school context.

The research seeks to better understand the challenges that educational leaders in Jewish day schools face on a regular basis, and the extent to which they are prepared to confront these challenges and to undertake other key responsibilities. We hope to identify Jewish educational leadership practices that make schools successful—and, in time, to share those findings with Jewish day school communities.

The AIR team includes Dr. Mark Schneider, Dr. Yael Kidron, spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

Dr. Ariela Greenberg, and Mr. David Blumenthal. The AIR team is supported by Professor Steven Cohen, Professor Jon Levisohn, Dr. Pearl Beck, Mrs. Roanna Shorofsky, and Mrs. Shira Hammerman.

The research project is an ambitious one. It includes both a national survey and an in-depth examination of Jewish educational leadership practices. To date, more than 500 Heads of School and Division Heads in more than 300 Jewish day schools across the United States have received invitations to participate in the national survey. From this survey, we will identify 50 schools for “deep dives”, from which we hope to learn much more about effective leadership.

One version of the survey is directed at Heads of School to identify the educational leadership qualities they look for in a continued next page 4

Research Update from JData: Partnerships and the Power of Data AMY L. SALES | sales@brandeis.edu

J

Data (www.jdata.com) is a growing trove of data on the Jewish educational system in North America.

The value of these data, however, is realized only when they are analyzed, interpreted, and put to use in the world. Releasing the full power of data depends on the partnership between researchers and practitioners that translates pages of numbers into information that, in turn, animates action.

A case in point is JData’s recent work with PEJE—The Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education. Last year, PEJE ran a Recruitment and Retention Academy (the forerunner of Atidenu, its latest national initiative).

Thirty-four participating day schools entered into JData information relevant to their enrollments, recruitment, and retention. These data included both the schools’ selfassessment of their practices and key metrics for measuring performance and change over time. Metrics include percent retention, recruitment success rate, enrollment growth, capacity utilization, and tuition revenue as a percent of total expenses. Our analysis linked these two types of information in order to test the extent to which schools with greater practices achieve higher scores on their key metrics. Doing so provided a built-in evaluation for PEJE—as the day schools work with PEJE to increase best practices, do they also fare better in building their enrollments?

The data showed that fewer than one-third of the schools coming into the Academy explicitly and systematically involved faculty in student retention efforts. Almost half of the schools had no systematic procedures for identifying dissatisfied

CASJE’s Jewish Educational Leadership Research Initiative continued from prvious page

candidate for a Division Head position, what student outcomes they use to assess progress toward accomplishing the school's mission, and what kinds of challenges they face that may hinder instruction and student success. A second survey is designed for Division Heads and asks about their professional development, satisfaction with different aspects of their job, and their interactions with teachers, students, and parents.

The second – “deep dive” - phase of the study involves the collection of data from teachers, students, division heads, and school heads. This will be done using multiple validated research instruments. The first one is the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED), a 360 degree assessment which focuses on learning-centered leadership behaviors that influence teachers, staff, and most importantly, students. The second measure is the Conditions for Learning Survey for students in grades three and up. It is a measure of the peer spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

students and families and three-fourths lacked a system for tracking the impact of retention activities on these families.

Attrition rates in the participating schools averaged about 11%. On average, almost one-fourth of a school’s capacity went unused in 2013-14. Simply put, almost one-fourth of their seats were unfilled and generated no tuition revenue for the school.

All of these numbers can now be tracked over time.

Findings suggested that the greater number of best practices that a day school followed the higher its recruitment success rate. The number of best practices, however, seemed not to have an effect on attrition rates. Our sense is that simply engaging in best practices is not sufficient. Rather, schools need to learn how to engage in these practices in a thoughtful, systematic and effective way.

And here is where the combined power of the partnership comes into play. JData can gather and analyze the data, and explain the patterns and trends they reveal. But it takes a partner like PEJE to take that information and turn it into programs and services that can help day schools make real— and measurable—change for the better.

To learn more, read the full report here.

culture, academic challenge, teacher-student relationships, and Jewish climate. Additional important measures are teacher job satisfaction survey and students’ performance. By combining different types of data, we will explore what Jewish educational leaders pay most attention to, and how they adapt their leadership to the structures, missions, and contexts of their schools.

To date, we have received enthusiastic responses from Heads of School who see this study as an opportunity to review their school using independent and validated measures. In addition to the publicly available research reports, our research team will provide each of the participating schools with customized reports that highlight areas of strength and areas for priorities and planning that can further grow the capacity of Jewish day schools.

Mark Schneider is a Vice President at American Institutes for Research (AIR). He can be reached at mschneider@air.org. Yael Kidron is a Principal Researcher at AIR. She can be reached at ykidron@air.org. Ariela Greenberg is a Researcher at AIR. She can be reached at agreenberg@air.org.

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News from the Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at JTS OFRA BACKENROTH | ofbackenroth@jtsa.edu

presents

What is the

Meaning

Meaning?

of “

”

Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, NY Sunday, June 7th at 2pm to Monday, June 8th at 4pm The term “meaning” is one that is often used in a variety of contexts in the contemporary discourse about Jewish education and identity. However, it is a term that is loosely defined, and often used differently among various people who invoke it. This conference will look at the concept of “meaning” – how people use it, what it might denote, and what are the implications of these ideas for our work in Jewish education in particular for our ability to set goals and create assessments.

Dr. Daniel Pekarsky, Keynote

Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, Keynote

Professor Emeritus of Educational Policy Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison & Education Consultant for the Mandel Foundation

Executive Director Kavana Cooperative

Learn from leading scholars and practitioners, and from other attendees, as we explore topics such as: • Sociology & Psychology of Meaning • Jewish Ideas on Meaning • The Pedagogy of Meaning: Reflections on Teaching and the Search for Meaning • Perspectives from the Field: What are people looking for and how are we trying to respond to them?

On the Program: Michael Brooks, Stuart Charme, Elliot Cosgrove, Gail Z. Dorph, Eitan Fishbane, Robbie Harris, Judith Hauptman, Barry Holtz, Bethamie Horowitz, David Ingber, Belinda Keshen, Gwynn Kessler, Jeff Kress, Lauren Kurland, Zachary Lasker, Dov Lerea, Jon Levinsohn, Danny Nevins, Eve Rudin, Alana Weinberg...and more!

Space is limited – register now to secure a spot:

http://enroll.jtsa.edu/modules/shop/index.html?action=section&OfferingID=398&SectionID=379 Thank you to The Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah for supporting this conference and to The AVI CHAI Foundation for their ongoing support of the Davidson School.

Conference Organizers: Rabbi Jason Gitlin, Dr. Barry Holtz, Dr. Jeffrey Kress, Dr. Zachary Lasker, Dr. Bill Robinson, Tiffany Rogers, & Dr. Janette Silverman

spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

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COLLOQUIUM ON THE CHANGING FACE OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH FAMILY THE LOUIS FINKELSTEIN INSTITUTE FOR RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL STUDIES OF THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

invites you to a conversation on THE CHANGING FACE OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH FAMILY: A DAYLONG COLLOQUIUM JUNE 1, 2015 In the American Jewish Community of the 21st century, as in the broader American community, the meaning of what it means to be a family is changing, often at a pace that communal institutions have difficulty keeping up with.

This program will bring together scholars from various social science disciplines, congregational rabbis, members of nontraditional families, Jewish educators, and representatives of communal/ philanthropic organizations to discuss non-traditional families.

Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss nontraditional families, including single parents by choice, same sex couples, blended families, families with transgender parents or children and interfaith families.

We will examine the ways in which communal institutions are responding to new needs, discover what needs are not being met, and make recommendations for needed changes.

DAYTIME PROGRAM 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Who are we now? The Changing Face of the American Jewish Family Synagogue Life: The View From The Trenches Lived Lives: Personal Narratives in Non-Traditional Families Implications for Education Interfaith Families and Jewish Identity

EVENING PROGRAM It Takes a Village: New Paradigms for Family and Community COCHAIRS Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies and Director, Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies, JTS Rabbi Leonard A. Sharzer, Associate Director for Bioethics of the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies, JTS FACULTY Rabbi Mitchell Cohen Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove Rabbi Eliezer Diamond Dr. Ariela Dubler Prof. Arnold Eisen Dr. Sylvia Barak Fishman Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz Rabbi Lisa Gelber Dr. Sheila Gordon Dr. Carol Ingall

Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky Dr. Joy Ladin Amichai Lau-Lavie Daniel Parmer Kathleen Peratis Dr. Len Saxe Dr. Shuly Schwartz Michelle Shain Rabbi Felicia Sol

spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

TO REGISTER, visit www.jtsa.edu/jewishfamily $50 general admission to colloquium and evening panel including continental breakfast and lunch. $10 Evening panel only.

Free for rabbis and fulltime students.

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News from George Washington University

A Bright Start: Experiential Education and Jewish Cultural Arts, GW’s New Master’s Program ALLISON FARBER | farber@email.gwu.edu

Jewish cultural education has taken a bold new turn with the launch of the Experiential Education & Jewish Cultural Arts (EE/JCA) Master’s program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The only program of its kind in the United States, EE/JCA’s cross-disciplinary curriculum weaves together courses in Jewish Cultural Arts, Experiential Jewish Education, and Museum Education. A series of institutes introduces students to the world of Jewish cultural arts in D.C., while professional development workshops offer invaluable practical skills. EE/ JCA exposes learners to the richness and complexity of Jewish cultural expression - its sounds, gestures, big ideas, and creative personalities - while also grounding them in the practices of experiential education.

GW’s strong relationships with D.C.’s cultural institutions enable students to take on meaningful internships and apply their learning both within and without the classroom. The inaugural cohort is engaged in its first year of coursework, while also interning at local Jewish organizations including the DCJCC, the Jewish Food Experience, Hillel International, and Temple Micah.

Its members come from diverse disciplines including education, history, and Judaic Studies to form a collaborative and supportive learning community. GW is currently accepting applications for the second cohort.

The EE/JCA program is supported by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation, which awards qualified applicants up to 85% tuition support. Hailed by the Foundation as an “incredibly forward-looking initiative that will help create innovative and dynamic educators,” it prepares the next generation of professionals and cultural leaders in Jewish museums, JCCs, college campus organizations, foundations, and summer camps.

The program is directed by Jenna Weissman Joselit and Carol B. Stapp. Jenna Weissman Joselit is the Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of History and the author of a series of landmark works on the American Jewish experience.

Her seminars include "Multiple Lives: The Fate of Jewish Cultural Expression," which takes the measure of such cultural landmarks as Fiddler on the Roof and The Diary of Anne Frank, and "Jews on Display," which explores a series of landmark museum exhibitions, among them Degenerate Art and Too Jewish? Carol B. Stapp is the Director of GW’s renowned Museum Education Program, whose alumni occupy top positions in museums around the world. Her courses include “Facilitating Museum Learning” which focuses on utilizing learning theories to educate in museums, and “Museums as Institutions” which examines museums and their mission of public service. The stellar faculty is rounded out by spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

Laura Tomes, Director of Educational Research and Innovation at Hillel International, and consultant Benjamin Jacobs, Assistant Professor of Education and Jewish Studies at NYU. With the establishment of the EE/JCA program, the People of the Book will have opened a new chapter.

For more information, please email eejca@gwu.edu or visit http://gsehd.gwu.edu/eejca.

NEWS FROM HEBREW COLLEGE MICHAEL SHIRE | mshire@hebrewcollege.edu

BARBARA MERSON, doctoral student in the joint program between the Shoolman Graduate School at Hebrew College and Lesley University acted as graduate research assistant to Lesley University’s Professor Dr Karen Frostig’s work on the 2014 Vienna Project for Holocaust Education in Austria. www.theviennaproject.org The Vienna Project is the first public art memorial of its kind in Europe and the first public naming memorial in Vienna to symbolically represent, in a differentiated format, the multiple groups of persecuted victims and dissidents of National Socialism, on record within a given country, murdered between 1938-1945. A multidimensional, interactive, interdisciplinary project, The Vienna Project forges a dynamic relationship between performance art, video and new technologies, typography and street art, web design, history, archival research, and Holocaust education.

Michael Shire, Dean of the Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education is delighted to announce the appointment of ARIELLE LEVITES to the position of Assistant Professor of Jewish Education at Hebrew College. Arielle is a doctoral candidate in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU with a dissertation entitled: Raising Jewish Spirits: American Jews, Religious Emotion, and the Culture of Contemporary American Spirituality.

Arielle’s appointment will commence in September 2015.

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NEWS

FROM THE JACK, JOSEPH AND MORTON MANDEL CENTER FOR STUDIES IN JEWISH EDUCATION AT BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

SUSANNE SHAVELSON | shavelson@brandeis.edu

We’re pursuing several new projects at the Mandel Center this year as we sharpen our focus on learning. Among them are CHILDREN’S LEARNING ABOUT ISRAEL, which studies how American Jewish elementary school students think and feel about Israel, and how that thinking changes over time. This longitudinal study, directed by Sivan Zakai at the American Jewish University, where the research is being conducted, will track students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Its aim is to produce knowledge for scholars as well as a broader audience of educators and parents committed to teaching children about Israel. brandeis.edu/mandel/projects/learningisrael/

HEBREW IN AMERICAN JEWISH SUMMER CAMPS, led by Jonathan Krasner

of the Mandel Center, Sharon Avni of CUNY and Sarah Bunin Benor of HUC, is documenting and analyzing how Hebrew is used and taught in Jewish overnight camps in the United States.

The work will provide a robust evidence base that can be used by Jewish educators and policy makers to improve Jewish learning and socialization. In addition, this project will be relevant for historians, Jewish studies scholars, applied linguists, and linguistic anthropologists. brandeis.edu/mandel/projects/hebrewatcamp/.

After a successful conference last spring, the project on

RETHINKING JEWISH IDENTITY AND JEWISH EDUCATION, co-led by Jon Levisohn of the Mandel Center and Ari Y. Kelman of Stanford, is proceeding with a book. Rethinking Jewish Identity: Rethinking Concepts and Imagining Alternatives will be forthcoming in late 2015. brandeis.edu/mandel/projects/rjic/index.html.

In March, the Learning Agenda project, co-led by Jon Levisohn and Jeffrey Kress of JTS, gathered a group of researchers in Jewish and general education to share their perspectives on advancing the learning agenda in Jewish education. Their work will be collected in a volume, Learning About Learning. brandeis. edu/mandel/projects/learning.html.

THE LEARNING TO READ TALMUD project, co-led by Jane Kanarek of Hebrew College and Marjorie Lehman of JTS, brought together a cohort of scholars teaching in higher education settings who are examining their teaching practices and students’ learning processes. They are producing an edited volume that will develop further understanding of how students learn to read Talmud, with the goal of helping instructors in multiple settings improve their practice. brandeis.edu/mandel/projects/ltrtalmud.html.

A Philosophy of Havruta: Understanding and Teaching the Art of Text Study in Pairs, by Elie Holzer with Orit Kent, has won the 2014 National Jewish Book Award. This volume, which emerged spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

from the Mandel Center’s BEIT MIDRASH RESEARCH PROJECT, breaks new ground from two perspectives: by offering a model of havruta text study situated in broader theories of interpretation and learning, and by treating havruta text study as composed of textual, interpersonal and intra-personal practices which can be taught and learned. brandeis.edu/mandel/projects/beitmidrashresearch/.

Research Update: Adult Jewish Learning SANDRA LILLENTHAL | yeladot18@gmail.com

I am happy to share with our membership some news about my research about Adult Jewish Education conducted in 2014 as part of my doctoral capstone project, supervised by Drs. Betsy Katz, Miriam Feinberg, and Saul Wachs. The purpose of my research study was to identify the characteristics of the adult Jewish learner of our times, compare them to the learner of 10 or 15 years ago and determine if potential differences come into play regarding the development of adult Jewish education curricula.

Information was collected in a three-stage mix-method research design: a survey mailed out to over 450 adults in Broward County, FL, who were either enrolled or had shown interest in adult Jewish learning in the past 10 years; in-depth interviews with participants of classes with two different curricula (one in place in ten years ago, the other in place for the last 4 years), allowing for a better understanding and comparison of the motivations to join learning programs, the satisfaction with the courses, as well as the impact of the learning experiences on Jewish behavior; a Focus Group discussion with the first graduating class of the new (Pillars of Judaism) curriculum, which gauged how well it meets the needs of today’s learners.

We identified the adult Jewish learner as well educated, mostly middle-class, married women, ages 50 and over. Most identify as Reform or Conservative, and many have other ties to the Jewish community (synagogues or Federation).

While acquiring Jewish knowledge is important to those who search for learning opportunities, even more important is the ability to connect to other Jews individually and to the community. Preferred learning experiences are those which are intellectually challenging, non-denominational, promoting face-to-face interaction and community building opportunities in a classroom setting.

For those interested in learning more, findings will be shared by request (yeladot18@gmail.com).

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JOB POSTING

FROM THE RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE AND THE JEWISH RECONSTRUCTIONIST COMMUNITIES The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities seek a high-level community educator. The community educator will be the “public face” of Reconstructionist education and will amplify and share the educational work undertaken by the faculty of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the staff of the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities and Camp JRF. The community educator will sit at the intersection of the academic and the practical. She or he will be an active member of the community engagement staff and will be deeply involved in responding to and shaping the educational aspirations of Reconstructionist communities. She or he will also be appointed to the college’s regular faculty.

The creation of this position, which has been funded for three years, will enable the richest synergy from the 2012 movement restructuring that combined the rabbinical seminary and the congregational union into one united organization. The community educator will enable the combination of theory and practical implementation, allowing for direct partnership between leadership training functions and congregations organized around Reconstructionist principles. The community educator will report to the vice president for community engagement.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Provide and oversee the provision of educational consultation and programming to affiliated congregations Work with students and faculty to generate educational materials for use in Reconstructionist communities Teach rabbinical students Create and supervise immersive field experiences for rabbinical students in affiliated congregations and other settings Work in close partnership with RENA (Reconstructionist Educators of North America) and the Youth and Education Commission to generate programming and professional development opportunities Consult closely with the staff of Camp JRF, providing expertise and also helping to bring the richness of the camp experience to the wider movement Develop educational components of RRC curriculum Collaborate with the vice president for academic affairs and vice president for student development on the creation of offerings in the field of education for rabbinical students and other learners Teacher training QUALIFICATIONS: Graduate degree in education required; Ed.D; Ph.D, or rabbinic ordination preferred 5 years experience in a Jewish educational setting Willingness to travel Ability to represent Reconstructionist Judaism in Reconstructionist and other Jewish settings About the Employer: Situated in the suburbs northwest of Philadelphia, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) is the primary organization of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement. We offer progressive rabbinical education and serve the Reconstructionist congregational community. We are committed to our roots in tradition, to egalitarianism and inclusion, and to helping Jewish communities flourish.

Application Process: Interested applicants should submit letters of interest and cv's to Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D., interim Vice President for Community Engagement: dteutsch@rrc.edu .

spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

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Book Review: Jewish Civic Values in Israel Moshe Sokolow | msokolow@yu.edu Naftali Rothenberg (ed.): `Arakhim ve-‘Ezrahim (Civic Values): Active Learning in Citizenship for the Middle School, (Jerusalem: The Van Leer Institute, 2011). 394 pp. ISBN: 978403-938-3. No price indicated.

The five overall divisions of the book are: 1.

Basic concepts: state, nation, and citizen

2.

Israel as a Jewish and democratic state

3.

Democratic rule: in concept and implementation

The prominent role assumed by the Arab electorate in the

4.

Implementing the principles of democratic rule in Israel

very recent Israeli elections, and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s

5.

Israeli society: relationships among social groups

notorious response to it, bring into sharp focus one of several long-festering Israeli social, economic, and political problems,

While it is entirely in Hebrew and not meant for use in American

which many—if not most—American Jewish students are either

classrooms, it is an exquisite resource that American Jewish

unaware of or misapprehend.

educators can adopt or adapt for their instructional purposes.

Israel is a diverse society, many of whose disparate elements

Its various apparatuses, including glossaries, biographies and

are often at odds with one another and compete with one another

primary sources; and its didactic component, including guides

for recognition and treatment. [The Israeli political system of

to classroom discussions and independent student activities;

proportional representation (political parties are allocated seats

make it a complete pedagogical work that is simultaneously

in the Knesset in proportion to the percentage of votes cast for

informational and educational. Intended for—and field tested

them) exacerbates the situation, as partisan interests seesaw

in—Israeli middle schools, it can be easily adapted for use with

between minority and majority status depending on how much

American middle and high school students as well.

the larger parties (such as the Likud and the Zionist Union— neither of whom achieved a clear majority) need them to fill out a governing coalition.]

The book under review here was prepared by The Van Leer Institute, a private “think tank” in Jerusalem, and is intended to serve as a textbook for Israeli students, for whom civics

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(ezrahut) is a required subject. Its authors and editors, who include prominent personalities and educators across the various spectra, labored to provide the source material and pedagogical guidance for such sensitive subjects as: Arabs: Jews; Religious: Secular; Ashkenazim: Mizrahim; Hawks: Doves;

REBECCA SHARGEL received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor of Education at Towson University.

Wealthy: Poor; Sabras: Immigrants.

In its introductory section, the book reminds us that while the State of Israel has no formal constitution, its declaration of independence proclaims Israel to be a “Jewish state,” but also

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guarantees to “ensure complete equality of social and political

The Network for Research in Jewish Education has an active Facebook group with close to 300 members. The page includes job announcements and information about research scholarships. Find the group on Facebook to join, or contact Sara Shapiro-Plevan at sashapiro@jtsa.edu.

rights to all its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race, or sex.” Just how the precarious balance between competing, and often mutually exclusive, rights is maintained—or upset—is the fascinating and stimulating subject to which this book is devoted.

spring 2015 the network for research in jewish education

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