by Leonard Saxe Over the last two decades a host of commissions and task forces have assessed how the Jewish community can reach out to post-bnai mitzvah teens. The Reform movement, in their just concluded Biennial meeting, declared “Youth Engagement” as their number one priority. They, along with other non-Orthodox movements, recognize that the bar and bat mitzvah ceremony is an inflection point in the lives of American Jews. The question that has bedeviled adults has been how to engage teens once they step off the bimah at age 12 or 13. In a new report, commissioned by UJA-Federation of New York and The Jewish Education Project, Amy Sales and colleagues at Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies studied New York-area parents, teenagers, and youth workers. They … Continue Reading
Socio-Demography Conference Opens Today
Leading researchers and policymakers gather today to discuss the current state of knowledge about the U.S. Jewish community and consider how the findings of socio-demographic research can be used. Bringing together leading scholars and policy makers for two days of intensive discussion of the state of the Jewish community, the Socio-Demography of American Jewry conference opens today at Brandeis University. The Conference, hosted by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute and the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis, is co-sponsored by academic research centers in Israel and the United States, the Association for the Scientific Study of Jewry and the Pew Forum on Religion and Policy. Previously, the Jewish community sponsored a decennial survey of American Jewry, both to assess … Continue Reading
The Health of Jewish Summer Camp Revealed
JData has launched JData Revealed, a monthly newsletter with information and ideas from JData.com. Developed at Brandeis University with the support of the Jim Joseph Foundation, JData is a public repository of information about the organizations that comprise the Jewish education system in North America. With the 2011 summer camp season winding up, it is appropriate the inaugural issue focuses on the world of nonprofit Jewish summer camps - enrollments, budgets, staffing and other data that define the size, shape and health of the field. These camps, key institutions in the Jewish educational system in North America, are known for fun, friendships and creativity. Yet they are also settings in which children, teens and young adults are immersed in Jewish life and community and where Jewish … Continue Reading
The Jews We Leave Behind
The Jews we leave behind We need to revamp education to reach all our children by Leonard Saxe In psychotherapy, the YAVIS client is “Young, Attractive, Verbal, Intelligent and Successful.” YAVIS clients have the best prognosis, yet remain the longest in treatment. Therapists like such highly motivated clients and eschew those who are less engaging. Likewise, in Jewish education, we focus our attention on those who are most highly motivated. Both resources and opportunities are directed to the children of the most highly engaged families, and we provide relatively few resources to those who need Jewish education the most. In North America, our flagship Jewish educational institutions are full-time day schools, and they garner the bulk of resources devoted to Jewish education. Nearly … Continue Reading
The Kids are All Right
by Yehuda Kurtzer, PhD In his recent article on eJp, Scott Brown laments the absence of great talent and a steady supply of young professionals into Jewish life, and blames the organizations and institutions for failing to create the systems to invite in, grow and ultimately keep this talent. While I admire the self-reflective tone of Brown’s piece, most of the prescriptions that Brown offers (tools for retention and growth, e.g.) together with the correctives that commentators have added (better salaries!) - while valuable and needed - seem to be less specific to the Jewish professional sector, and merely good practices across the board for healthy professional environments. What’s more, having spent two years recently on the faculty of the Hornstein program and meeting three classes of eager … Continue Reading
Rose Art Museum Lawsuit Settled
from Brandeis Now: Brandeis, plaintiffs settle Rose Art Museum lawsuit Brandeis University and four Rose Art Museum supporters who filed suit two years ago against the university over its handling of the museum during the financial crisis have settled the case and say they are now focused on the future of one of the region's greatest cultural treasures. As a result, the claims of plaintiffs Meryl Rose, Jonathan Lee, Lois Foster and Gerald Fineberg have been dismissed in Suffolk Probate and Family Court in Boston. On June 20, the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General terminated its review of Brandeis. ... The settlement agreement, which brings to an end all claims concerning management of the Rose and the potential sale of artwork, states that the Rose is, and will remain a … Continue Reading
Study on Jewish Young Adults Finds Service Not Related to Jewish Identity
Jewish young adults overwhelmingly demonstrate an abiding commitment to volunteerism, with a particular interest in efforts to eradicate poverty and illiteracy and preserve the environment. At the same time, their service tends to be infrequent and motivated by a desire to make a difference in their local communities. And although their commitment to volunteerism increases with their degree of religious involvement, most do not connect their volunteering to their Jewish identity nor do they consider Israel to be a major focus of their service endeavors. These are the major findings of the first-ever comprehensive study of contemporary Jewish young adults and their attitudes and behaviors towards community service. The study - Volunteering + Values: A Repair the World Report on Jewish Young … Continue Reading
Limud by the Lake Revisited
In 2000, with funding from The AVI CHAI Foundation, the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies conducted a seminal study of Jewish overnight camps. Eight years later, the Foundation asked the Center to revisit the camps from the original study in order to document changes and uncover opportunities for future investment. Here's Prof. Amy L. Sales: In some regard, the camps were as we had left them, but in other respects they were stunningly changed institutions. We noted, for example, a new emphasis on fundraising, extensive upgrades to facilities, more elaborated staffing structures, and evidence of stronger Judaic programming. Efforts were underway to expand the reach of camp through millions of dollars in incentive grants as well as a national effort to incubate new camps. Limud by … Continue Reading
New Master’s Concentration in Israel Education Launched
In a new partnership, six American academic institutions are teaming up to offer their graduate students a Master’s Concentration Program in Israel education. Selected students will study a common curriculum, gather together for eight colloquium days, receive ongoing individual mentoring, and create their own learning experience in Israel. Students are also expected to be proficient in Hebrew by the end of the program. The program will be coordinated by The iCenter, a national nonprofit whose aim is to dramatically enhance pre-collegiate Israel education in North America. Set to launch this May, the program is recruiting for its inaugural cohort of 18 students from: Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education at Yeshiva University Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish … Continue Reading
Brandeis, Middlebury Launch Joint Program in Israel
Brandeis University and Middlebury College announced this week that they are establishing a study abroad program in Israel that will be conducted exclusively in Hebrew. Located in the city of Beer Sheva, and affiliated with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the program will begin offering classes in the spring of 2012. The curriculum, drawn from Brandeis' Hebrew Language and Literature Program, is designed for high intermediate and advanced Hebrew language students, and all coursework will be conducted in Hebrew. Qualified students will also be able to enroll directly in courses at Ben-Gurion University alongside local students. Students will be housed with Israeli students in residence halls and will adhere to the Middlebury College Language Pledge - a promise to speak no language other than … Continue Reading
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