Innovation and Change

As the Covid pandemic progressed, more and more families engaged in multi-generational Jewish experiences in their homes. In some cases, grandparents were increasingly able to connect with their grandchildren through Jewish learning. While families were already often pursuing home-based Jewish experiences around Hanukkah and Passover, the pandemic accelerated these types of experiences at other times of the year too. Reflecting this trend, successful educational programs create learning that supports Jewish experiences that are primarily home and family based. Not only do these programs acknowledge the family connection, but they strengthen it by providing options for home based and home-connected learning. Many programs also create learning specifically for grandparents and grandchildren to experience together.

Like all families, today’s Jewish families face increasing financial pressures. At the same time, they navigate childcare challenges and societal pressures for high academic and extracurricular performance. These factors lead to busy lives that force Jewish educational programs to make a compelling case that participation in their programs adds value to a family’s life. Many families still believe that Jewish education is intended to ensure continuity, to provide training for B’nai Mitzvah, or to equip children with the skills needed to participate in Jewish ritual life. Yet many of today’s Jewish educational programs deliver so much more. In particular, as young people experience an unprecedented mental health crisis, they need help managing emotions, overcoming challenges, building in-person relationships, and developing grit and resilience. Research in the field of positive psychology and spiritual development shows that Jewish learning can help young people live happier, healthier lives. The most successful Jewish educational programs effectively communicate to parents that Jewish education helps develop children into caring, responsible, and resilient adults.

Programs also are successful when they respond to the pain points in a family’s life. Programs that provide childcare, transportation, snack, outdoor playtime, and homework help, for example, signal an awareness of the challenges of family life today. Often, these programs are hyper-local, providing convenience and accessibility for families. Some offer flexibility of schedule, allowing children to attend different days of the week at different times of the year. Some provide on-demand content or customize the curriculum in response to the interests of the child or family. And some create opportunities for one-on-one learning so that children can explore content that interests them through modalities that align with how they learn.

The Pew Research Center reports that the Jewish community is growing more racially and ethnically diverse. Overall, 92 percent of the American Jewish community identifies as non-Hispanic White, while 8 percent identify with other racial and ethnic groups. However, 15 percent of Jews under 30 identify with a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White. The intermarriage rate is also increasing among younger Jews, which means that more Jewish American families with school-aged children are diverse in myriad ways. Successful educational programs welcome Jews of color, all family members from homes where more than one religion is practiced, and all who wish to be part of the community regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, class, or ability. Some successful programs even create space for those who do not identify as Jewish but are eager to be a part of a diverse community. Programs also make space for non-Jewish teachers who have skills and wisdom that align with the program’s goals. These programs create environments that accept and welcome children with a variety of identities in a proudly Jewish manner.

According to Pew Research Center’s 2020 study of American Jews, 27 percent identify as Jews of no religion. The percentage is significantly higher among younger Jews. Pew also reports that while younger Jews increasingly identify as not religious, they continue to engage in cultural expressions of Jewish identity at the same high rate as older members of the Jewish community. Today’s Jewish families seek educational experiences that support a cultural approach to Jewish identity, exploring shared history, language, and peoplehood as foundational curricular components.

In some cases, this means shifting the focus of educational content away from prayer and worship, perhaps instead focusing on modern Hebrew. Some families opt for Jewish education that is separate from the synagogue, which they may view as a religious symbol of Jewish expression. A cultural approach to Jewish education might also focus more on Jewish pride and peoplehood, perhaps nurturing learners’ interest in connecting to contemporary Jewish heroes. This approach can explore Jewish art, music, literature, and food as essential components of Jewish identity and legitimate forms of Jewish expression, comparable to engaging in regular worship or observing Shabbat.

One design feature that The Jewish Education Project has advanced since 2012 is that learning should be anchored in caring, purposeful relationships. This orientation holds true today. The physical separation imposed by the pandemic caused many educational programs to focus on relationship-building as their primary concern. Now, the most successful programs use relationship-based pedagogies to create authentic interpersonal connections around Jewish learning experiences. They deliver learning that nurtures friendships within classes and across the entirety of the community. These programs take inspiration from Jewish camp communities where relationships are fostered between older and younger children. In that setting, older children take on leadership roles with increasing responsibility for nurturing relationships with younger campers. Educational programs do the same with their learners, while also devoting time to developing connections between learners and teachers, and to exploring what it means to be part of and responsible for the Jewish community.

Since 2012, Dr. Jonathan Woocher’s findings on the importance of putting the learner at the center of the learning experience have guided The Jewish Education Project. Programs are most successful when they focus on the learners’ everyday questions and challenges. These programs give learners choice and agency in determining what and how they are going to learn. In these settings, the learning is hands-on and authentic, often taking place in real-life settings. When learning does take place in the organization’s setting, the physical space is often designed with the learners’ perspectives in mind.