Not All Hebrew Schools Suck, Part II

Joel Lurie Grishaver

Attached to a link that read Should We Send Our Kids to Hebrew School?the website Kveller leads us to an article called “Finding My Jewish Community, or Making it Myself” by Logan Ritchie. The story is that of a homemade religious school created by a number of families in Atlanta called the Jewish Kids Group.

In praise of this camp style school we are told:

Not All Hebrew Schools Suck

Joel Lurie Grishaver

I took a trip back east to work with teachers. I was reminded that the greater Jewish world lies about the Hebrew School experience. They call it “the drop off school” and denigrate the parents who make a solid commitment to fight their kids to get them there once, twice, or three times a week. It may not be all the commitment we want—but it is a hell-o-a -lot more than over 70 percent of Jewish parents (at any given moment) who don’t provide their children with any Jewish education.

Let Me Show You My Portfolio…Bazinga!

Ira Wise

Alan Rowe is an old friend and one of the principals at Torah Aura Productions. Alan has been a tech guy in Jewish education since before the internet was available to mere mortals (those of us who were not in the military or at one of a handful of universities using PLATO). He, for as long as I have known him (almost 25 years) he has been beta testing one program or another. Sometimes to see how it can help Torah Aura in their work, sometimes to see how it might help Jewish teachers. And as often as not, just to see what cool things were possible. He is that kind of guy.

A few weeks ago he sent me a link to a blog posting about using Evernote to create student portfolios. He wanted to know if I thought there might be an application for synagogue or “complementary” education.

Jewish In the Summer – Counting Our Blessings

Dale Cooperman and Idie Benjamin

In some Jewish Early Childhood Programs, summer program can be a vacation from the Jewish focus that guides the school year. Of course, there is Shabbat to celebrate every Friday, but without a holiday to learn about and then celebrate, our programs can seem no different than any other center based summer program.

Living Map of Israel

Laurie Bellet

There is a map of Israel (or is it a mural?) hanging in the hallway across from the Art Studio at Oakland Hebrew Day School. No ordinary map, this piece is active with the combined experiences and emotions of our entire school community. The inspiration for the map came to me at the NAEA (Art Educators) conference. I was passing the Twisteez Wire exhibit, when I stopped to marvel at a 3-dimensional mural of New York, crafted with Twisteez and all manner of odds and ends. As I was avidly photographing this piece, I quickly realized that it was much more complex than I originally thought and, much more exciting. Then to my great delight, the Twisteez representative (Twisteez is a Rabinowitz family business.) explained that his sister is the artist who created the piece and that she lives in my area!