Every few years, Jewish education declares the Hebrew school model overdue for reinvention, yet the same structures persist. That tension sits at the center of this conversation.
In this episode, David Bryfman speaks with Jonathan Krasner, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Chair of Jewish Education Research at Brandeis University, about the history and possible innovation in Jewish education. Together they examine the enduring role of B’nai Mitzvah, and why many families remain satisfied with a model educators often criticize. For educators, funders, and communal leaders wrestling with institutional change and the future of Jewish learning, this conversation offers both historical perspective and a more honest framework for thinking about what comes next.
Read Jonathan Krasner's piece: https://www.sourcesjournal.org/articles/when-jewish-educational-innovation-reinforces-the-status-quo
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Rabbi Matthew Dreffin of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life speaks with David Bryfman about the vitality of Jewish life in the South, and how he designs intensely detailed curriculum with the intention that anyone- even people with no Jewish knowledge- could teach Hebrew
Rabbi Nicki Greninger speaks about her quest to transform part-time Jewish education.
Jonathan Cannon demonstrates that even deeply religious and Zionist schools are not immune to the ripple effects of October 7th.