Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Conference of the National Council for Jewish Education

The point of departure for this article is James Fowler's conception of the “master story.” In “master stories,” culture-heroes are portrayed as engaging in certain archetypal activities. These activities are then considered paradigmatic and life-orienting by future generations who adhere to that culture. In keeping with this line of thinking, we offer the rare narrative presented by Maimonides in the opening chapters of his “Laws Concerning Idolatry” as a potential “master story” for Jewish educators. The main section of the essay consists of a close literary analysis of selected passages from the “Laws Concerning Idolatry.” The article concludes by enumerating a series of educational implications that can be gleaned from the narrative, and by indicating some of the problems that might result from an attempt to put some of these implications into practice.     

Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Conference of the National Council for Jewish Education

Research about Jewish choral singers provides insight to a previously unstudied population of adult Jewish learners. Drawing on over 2,000 responses to the First-Ever Survey of Jewish Choral Activity, this article describes how Jewish choral experiences enable adults to deepen their involvement in Jewish life and learning. Survey results suggest that participants in Jewish choral groups resemble secular singers in terms of social, identity, and skill development, but derive additional benefits in terms of Jewish Peoplehood, Jewish Competence, Spirituality, and Jewish Community. Jewish choral activities particularly benefit singers under 45 by providing them opportunities to integrate their Jewish and musical lives.     

Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the National Council for Jewish Education

ABSTRACT

Citations are one of the ways that scholars engage one another in dialogue, debate, and discussion. As such, they represent a powerful way in which practitioners constitute themselves and others within a scholarly field. This article studies the citational practices of articles published in the Journal of Jewish Education over a 10-year period in order to discover how scholars have constituted the field of research in Jewish Education. Using social network analysis and qualitative examination, this article presents an unprecedented portrait of the field of knowledge including its strengths and new directions for scholarly investigation and analysis of how the field of research in Jewish education has been formed, and how citational references have shaped how scholars and practitioners understand what we know about Jewish education.     

42nd Annual International IATEFL Conference and Exhibition

University of Exeter,UK,7th-11th April 2008 IATEFL's 42nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition will be held at the University of Exeter's Streatham Campus,Exeter,Devon.UK. Exeter is a historic city situated in the beautiful country- side of Devon.There is much to do and see in Exeter.Exeter is famous for its cream teas.The River Exe runs through the