Becoming a Bat Mitzvah has the potential to be affirming, celebratory, and a wonderful welcome into the Jewish community as a whole and into the community of Jewish women in particular. Yet, planning a Bat Mitzvah can be confusing and stressful, given the various practices accepted and the options available today. This stress is compounded […]
Blessed with Options: The Special Bat Mitzvah Read More »
A year and a half or so before a girl’s twelfth birthday, I meet with her and her parents in my study at our shul. The goal of this initial meeting is to discuss the child’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah and to help her outline a program of educational preparation. Our conversation begins and ends with
Preparing for a Bat Mitzvah: A Celebration of a Lifetime Read More »
In my memory, I am nine years old, maybe ten. I am sitting close to my Zeyde at the shiny wood dining room table in my grandparents’ home, poised at the edge of my chair. He sings a pasuk to the trop and I repeat it: אלא תולדת נח ,נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו
MERYL: In each day school I have worked for or consulted in, the goals have been to shape Jewish identity while exposing students to text, ritual, and Jewish law. These schools teach classic Jewish texts in Hebrew and Aramaic, using primary and secondary sources. Some schools use packaged pre-made curricula (with prepared tests, worksheets, and
Between Mother and Daughter: Perspectives on the Teaching of Tanakh Read More »
There is a strong sense of “Jewishness” in the air at Barnard College/Columbia University. Whether one is strolling down College Walk or eating lunch in the cafeteria, the sight of familiar faces is a constant reminder of the Jewish campus community. At the Kraft Center, which houses the Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the beit midrash is a
Learning and Teaching on Campus—Where Are the Women? Read More »
I initially set out to describe the process by which I enrolled in the Drisha Scholars Circle program, spending eight hours each day for three years engaged in dialogue with students half my age who were preparing for careers in Jewish scholarship and service, and to shed light on that experience. But I realized that
A Lifetime of Learning Read More »
As this issue of the JOFA Journal, focusing on Jewish education, came together, a topic of concern emerged—like an elephant in the room—that cried out for further investigation and analysis. This topic is the disparity in salaries between male and female teachers and heads of school in the day school/yeshiva system. To be clear, these
Kevod HaRav, Kevod HaMorah = Kevod HaTorah Read More »
Introductory thoughts The overall focus of this Education issue of the JOFA Journal is on topics relating to gender and education. As we worked on the journal, it became apparent that a critical subject that affects so many Jewish families—and, therefore, so many JOFA Journal readers—is the high cost of day school education for all
The Affordability Crisis Read More »
Six years ago, my husband, Saul Strosberg, and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Saul had just graduated from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School and had accepted the position of rabbi at Sherith Israel, the Orthodox synagogue in Nashville. For weeks after we made the move, I wondered what had made me agree to it. I
Living and Learning in the Bible Belt Read More »
Several years ago, I joined a JOFA educational team charged with the goal of developing a gendersensitive humash curriculum for the day school classroom. Our job: to supplement “regular” humash learning with lessons that would increase an awareness of gender through the study of humash. Following on the success of the Bereishit team, we set
JOFA’s Shemot Curriculum Read More »
