USCJ: February 2007

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USCJ EC Staff Meeting Shiur - February 2007

“Your responsibility is much more than the child, it’s to teach the family how to be a family, a Jewish family. That’s your sacred responsibility.”

- Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, CA, speaking to directors at the annual conference of the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism, 2006

Questions for Discussion:

Midway through this school year, it is worthwhile to stop and reflect. What does it mean to work in a Jewish school? What does it mean to you?
What are the crucial elements of yourself that you bring to your teaching? How do your own beliefs inform your teaching? How much does your own practice reflect the life of the classroom? If there are large discrepancies, how do you reconcile them – or don’t you?
How do we teach families to be Jewish families? How could we reach families in even stronger ways? Share a story of a family that you know increased its involvement in Jewish life because of the experience the child or family had in your school.
We read in the Talmud, “Education begins at the very moment of birth” (Sotah 47a). We know that early childhood education is the gateway to Jewish life. So how do we make sure that the Jewish life and experiences and education in our classrooms in which children are engaged are strong enough and enticing enough to draw families in and send them on their own Jewish journeys?

The entire article quoted above can be found here.

Printable version

Maxine Segal Handelman
Consultant for Early Childhood Education,
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism