In terms of Jewish education, in what sort of environment did you grow up?

                   

I grew up in Montreal, Canada, went to a Jewish day school, and was very involved in a Zionist youth movement. I actually had the privilege of growing up in a synagogue where Professor David Hartman was the rabbi. For me he was a leading force in terms of thinking philosophically and creatively about Jewish texts and their implications for our lives. This approach was totally absent in my school experience. His teaching and rabbinic leadership were most inspiring and had a huge impact on my upbringing.

 

How did you come to study education and Jewish education?

 

I began studying in a human genetics program at McGill University, and then realized that I was much more passionate about the work I was doing in education, and Jewish education specifically.

 

At a certain point, I moved to New York, where I studied Jewish Studies and education at Yeshiva University. Several years later, we came on Aliya, and from 1981 until yesterday, I was a faculty member at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. On March 1, I retired after more than 40 most productive and enjoyable years at the Hebrew University. 

         

Congratulations! What a long and exciting career. It seems like one of the foci of your career was researching how children understand certain aspects of the Bible, such as miracles and Biblical personalities. Do you remember how you felt about the Biblical and Talmudic narratives when you were a child? 

                   

As a child, the Biblical stories were always fascinating and engaging, but the teachers taught them in boring ways with way too much emphasis on the dry facts, and as a result, we definitely did not enjoy this study. As a beginning teacher, I learned about an approach that deeply impacted my teaching.  The "Philosophy for Children Approach" focuses on educating youngsters to think philosophically, to make sense of our experience, and thereby develop a worldview. 

 

This approach does not talk to children about philosophers, but rather philosophical issues that trigger our curiosity and thereby raise meaningful questions and follow-up discussions. I've studied and written quite a bit about philosophy for children, and its implications for teaching Bible. I am convinced that this approach is far more meaningful and engages children of all ages in a much more active, constructive, and open-ended teaching than the way I was taught.

 

In a video for the HUJI Bites campaign, you explained the possible positive impacts of uncertainty on children's lives during the COVID period. Do you think COVID might have other positive impacts on children?

                   

First of all, I think we must recognize and address the many negative impacts of COVID. Kids missed key learning opportunities and their social-emotional skills suffered. At the same time, there are certain benefits that COVID learning offers; in many cases, the role of parents as educators has changed significantly, sometimes for the better. Parents have assumed a much more active educational role than they did beforehand. This change produced mixed results, but it appears that it was significant, with long-term implications.

 

Furthermore, I think that the pandemic also helped people of all ages to think more deeply about their values and life priorities. Uncertainty stimulates new ways of perceiving our priorities and generates new ways of creative thinking in multiple avenues. At the same time, I don't want to minimize the difficulty of dealing with uncertainty; it’s a critical challenge that deserves serious thought and ongoing deliberation.    

 

HUJI Bites: Being Open About Uncertainty

 

I've been interviewing alumni and students for the last few weeks, and your name kept coming up as an admired professor who inspired students' learning process. Can you say a few words about your vision as a teacher?

 

So, first of all, I love to teach. I think that I bring that passion to the classroom or wherever I'm teaching. That, for me, is very meaningful. If I ever lost that passion, or if I ever lost that love, I would leave the profession.

 

I was very fortunate, in school as well as in my university education, to have some outstanding teachers. One of them, Professor Nechama Leibowitz, had a huge impact on my life. A short anecdote: Once, on a rainy Tuesday evening, Nechama had agreed to teach a class at a small neighborhood center, a class that she'd already taught many times. As we were driving to the class, as a joke, I said: "Nechama, are you nervous?" and in all seriousness, she responded, "Of course.”  I thought she was joking, but she then explained: "Of course I am. The day that I don't get nervous and excited before a class, is the day that I must leave teaching."

 

 

Professor Nechama Leibowitz

 

For me, that anecdote says a lot. If you don't have that passion, if you don't look for what's exciting you about the text or about the class, and if you don't try to find ways to open the text up for meaningful and rigorous study, then your students won't be as engaged, and a key educational opportunity will be missed.  I'm always looking for new textual meaning and relevance that triggers my imagination and curiosity. I try, as much as I can, never to repeat a lesson twice or three times. I always try to look for something new, and when you work for 40 years, that's not easy. At the same time, it keeps us vibrant and allows us to grow as educators.

 

Dr. Howard Deitcher