What is Jewish education 'at this time'? 

I viewed this question as relevant when I was a student, and it always remains valid - now, while we are at war, as it does during quieter times. 

I would like to explore what Jewish education 'at this time’ means, from the perspective of the "Teaching for Understanding" approach (Stone-Wiske et al., 1997). According to this approach, the principal mean of assessing what our students have learned is to focus not only on knowledge but also on how they apply this knowledge in their lives. In the sphere of Jewish education, this question directs us to examine the results of the act of education in the practical, behavioral realm and their expression of the learners' worldviews. 

Therefore, as someone professionally involved in Jewish education and in researching Jewish education, I view it as one of my educational and research goals – to examine the impact of education on how people "live" their Judaism and what they do in its name. If we look at the place of "Judaism" in the lives of our students, including later, as adults, we have a “yardstick” for assessing their perception of "Judaism." More than this, we have a ”yardstick” for critical assessment of the act of education and the work of educators. 

This is not a theoretical question. Jewish education seeks to bring about a commitment to tradition and continuity, and those who see themselves as part of the Jewish people, committed to Jewish culture or the Torah of Israel, express their commitment in different ways. This realization of tradition and continuity takes place not only in their private lives but also in the life of the community, the nation, and the State of Israel. 

The perception of Judaism plays an important role in the central disputes of Israeli society, and it is the basis for positions on fundamental issues in Israeli public life, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the possible connection or contradiction between Judaism and democracy, and the lifestyle and character of the State of Israel. 

As an example of criteria for assessing the outcomes of Jewish education, we might look at current examples of actions taken in the public sphere in the name of 'Judaism'. A random selection of examples from the last two months include the Kabbalat Shabat tradition now taking place in hotels for evacuees; the arrangement of an empty Shabbat table with places set for the one hundred and thirty hostages for a “Kabbalat Shabbat” in a Tel Aviv square; a soldier reciting the “Shema” through the loudspeaker of a mosque in Jenin during a military operation; volunteers distributing tzitzit to secular soldiers before they go into battle; American Jews, wearing prayer shawls and kippahs, demonstrating during the war at New York Central Station in support of the Palestinians’ and Rabbis for Human Rights volunteering in the Rahat Joint Operations Room (which serves both Jews and Arabs). 

Each of these actions embodies a conception of Judaism that is directed toward certain positions and actions in the public sphere. Engaging in Jewish education requires that we examine these actions and think about the educational path leading to them. I believe that our role in academia, as well as in the Israeli education system, is to examine, via reflective observation, how our actions reflect Jewish education in the State of Israel and in the Diaspora. 

To develop reflective skills and promote educational and academic engagement with these highly significant issues, I propose the following three pedagogies: 

• Community and ‘Boundary Work' - The concept of community as relevant to Jewish education has become critical in recent years, both as education that contributes to the development of community capabilities and as a way of life involving mutual responsibility and the development of resilience (Shadmi 2010). Jewish education may benefit from adopting pedagogies that contribute to developing community capabilities, including opportunities for encounters, routines that deepen the connection between participants, cultivating traditions and shared goals, and more. Within this endeavor, conscious engagement in 'boundary work' is necessary. Boundary work is the attention given to the ways in which individuals and groups define themselves as similar or different and express in practice the differences and similarities between them (Michèle Lamont 2002). Boundary work creates the perception of self. At the collective level, marking boundaries is how groups distinguish themselves and maintain their status relative to others. 
• Training in Ideological Discourse - Ideologies are part of every educational endeavor (Lam 2002). In Jewish education, they are at the foundation of teaching, curricula, and educational frameworks, whether openly or covertly. One of the tasks of those engaged in Jewish education is to expose foundational ideological assumptions, thereby allowing educators and students to examine and clarify them as part of the learning process (Muszkat-Barkan 2011). It appears that over the past year in Israel, ideological assumptions underlying the "judicial reform"/"regime coup" debate sharply divided the public, increasing societal tension between groups who maintain different positions. Choosing to ignore these issues in the classroom leaves education to the prevalent discourse on social networks. However, teachers are afraid to start a discussion lest they be accused of taking one of the sides or being critical of government institutions. In August, a conference was held at the Hebrew Union College titled "Reality Teaches Democracy." Hundreds of teachers and principals who attended expressed concern about voicing these tensions in the classroom. Together, they discussed perceptions and practical tools for dealing with ideological issues in the context of education in schools. Education for active citizenship (Cohen 2018) in Israel might contribute to understanding the goals of Jewish education. 
• Hermeneutics of Place – The relationship to the land of Israel is one of the issues driving conflict both within the Jewish world as well as with its external relations. I therefore believe that the issue of "relationship to place" should be a priority in the curriculum of Jewish and Israeli education. Based on the research I conducted on pedagogies of dealing with place as part of the "Teachers’ Lounge in Memory of Shira Banki" program and following Gadamer's concept of the fusion of horizons (REF), I proposed a pedagogical theory that views dialogue concerning place as a hermeneutic engagement (Muszkat-Barkan to be published). In this process, the conversation between those with different perceptions about specific places allows for expanding perspectives and recognizing the ideological and biographical component of perceptions of place among members of the group/class. This pedagogy, which I termed 'Hermeneutics of Place,' can serve as a tool in Jewish education at this time (Muszkat-Barkan to be published). 

Each of these pedagogies poses different educational approaches towards connecting emotion, thought, and belief. Each requires dialogue and responsibility towards someone beyond oneself. I believe that these pedagogies can facilitate Jewish education that is simultaneously critical and committed; education that relates on a profound level to the reality surrounding us in the State of Israel and the Jewish world, and provides tools for coping with the challenges of Jewish education at the present time. 

Michal Muszkat-Barkan, Ph.D., is a Professor of Jewish Education in the Parallel Track. She is the Director of the Department of Education and Professional Development at HUC-JIR/Jerusalem. Her fields of research include teachers’ professional development, teacher ideologies, multicultural teacher training, and pluralism in Jewish education.

She heads the Rikma M.A. program specializing in Community and Pluralistic Jewish Education, in collaboration with the Melton Center for Jewish Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She spearheaded and is the academic head of the Teachers’ Lounge, in memory of Shira Banki, a professional development program for Arab and Jewish teachers.

Sources 

• Cohen, A. "Agreeing on Question Marks: Political Education as a Shared Civic Pedagogy" in Gilu'i Da'at #10. Tel Aviv: Research Authority at the Kibbutzim College and HaKibbutz HaMeuchad Press [in Hebrew], pp. 199-210, 2016. 
• Lamm, Z. In the Turbulence of Ideologies: The Foundations of Education in the Twentieth Century. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, [in Hebrew], 2002. 
• According to Lamont, M. and Molnár, V(2002) in Shavit,  Z., Sasson-Levy, O. and Ben-Porat, G. (Eds) Points of Reference: Changing Identities and Social Positioning in Israeli Society. Jerusalem: Van-Leer Institute, and Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Press [in Hebrew], 2013.   
• Muszkat-Barkan M.  “Ideological Encounters: Mentoring Teachers in Jewish Education.” In H. Miller, A. Pomson and L. Grant (Eds), The International Handbook of Jewish Education. Springer, pp. 879-900, 2011 
• Muszkat-Barkan, M. "Hermeneutics of Place: Encounter of Horizons in Place-Related Discourse in a Joint Palestinian and Jewish Teachers’ Training". To be published 
• Shadami-Wortman, S. "Education Builds Community - Builds Education" in: Shadmot. For A Change Together - Building A Community-Opening Social Capital as A Basis For Renewed Communalism. Ministry of Welfare and Social Services. Government Advertising Bureau. Tel Aviv. pp. 93-110, 2010. 
• Stone-Wiske M. (Ed) "Teaching for Understanding: Linking Research with Practice".  San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997