FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR CENTRAL AGENCIES OF JEWISH EDUCATION

There is an ancient Chinese saying: “May you live in interesting times.” While some would classify this as a blessing, others would perceive it as a curse. The topic for this morning's discussion arises from a comparable state of ambiguity in regard to Jewish education, for these are certainly the most interesting times for us. Some voices are heard decrying the sorry state of Jewish education in North America and projecting a weakening of Jewish life because of the failures of Jewish education. Others are pointing to the extraordinary potential of Jewish education in the service of Jewish continuity, if we are willing to think about Jewish education in new ways. For those of us who tend the vineyards of Jewish education and maintain the institutions which have served Jewish education, we see great opportunity and serious challenges to existing assumptions in these interesting times. It is in this context that I share some observations about the implications for the future of central agencies of Jewish education.     

INSURING THE FUTURE OF CENTRAL AGENCIES

The future, like greatness, is rarely planned for. It is thrust upon us. As I write, two supplementary schools in the community have announced they are closing their doors. A bank crisis has rocked the state and the local Federation campaign is limping toward closure. The new economic realities are the first issue a central agency must grapple with.     

FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR JEWISH EDUCATION

Successful career development involves balancing the values and expectations held by oneself and by others regarding one's position and the roles played as part of the position. Due to the nature of their work, rabbis face special challenges with regard to balancing professional roles and expectations. Results from a study of Conservative rabbis are reported here, including the variety of roles played by rabbis, the value and expectations placed by rabbis regarding each of these roles, and his or her perception of the value and expectations placed by lay leaders on these roles. Implications related to rabbinic identity and education are discussed.     

THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE CENTRAL AGENCIES

Central agencies for Jewish education were developed along the model of the American public school system. They were to fulfill the same functions, in their unique settings, as the public schools board of education. The central agencies were assigned duties and tasks that could not be performed by single schools such as teacher certification, setting educational standards and teacher training.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JEWISH EDUCATION AND JEWISH IDENTIFICATION

A resounding “yes” was the answer given recently at a conference of Solomon Schechter Day School principals by Professor David Weiss Halivni of the Jewish Theological Seminary to the question: Can modern critical scholarship be introduced when teaching Talmud on the day school level? The response was accompanied by an example which engendered great delight among the participants. But, soon, the initial magic began to ebb and the reality of the day-school dilemma emerged. Our teachers, the principals unanimously agreed, are hardly qualified to recreate the critical ingenuity which Halivni had demonstrated, and even if in theory the critical perceptions would be valuable additions to the classroom, in practice this is clearly impossible. This frustration is the result, however, of inadequate familiarity with modern scholarship, and in fact one of its central tenets, a theory suggested by Halivni himself, could very well be the best of all teachers' aids in beginning Talmud study.     

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES IN CENTRAL AGENCY/FEDERATION RELATIONSHIPS IN PLANNING FOR JEWISH EDUCATION

Jewish Educational Planning at the Communal Level There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the future of central agencies. Much of it focuses on central agency/federation relationships in general, and planning roles in particular within the communal setting. That setting, at both local and continental levels, is comprised of a multidimensional matrix of organizations and bodies which under the best of circumstances work together in a synergistic way. When that happens, the community as a whole is stronger and all involved, including Jewish education, benefit. When that does not, unfortunately, the opposite is true.     

FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Future development of higher education is at present a widely discussed issue in the United Kingdom. This discussion was inspired to a great extent, by a paper “Higher Education into the 1990s: A Discussion Document” issued in February 1978 by the Department of Education and Science (DES) and the Scottish Education Department. (Editor's Note: The main part of this document was published in No.3, May‐June 1978, issue of this Bulletin).

The article presented below reviews prospects of future developments in higher education mainly of the university sector in the United Kingdom in the context of the above document. It is based on the Final Report of the Group on Forecasting and University Expansion established in April 1978 by the Conference of University Administrators (CUA). The Report draws attention to a number of matters which are either not covered or not developed in the Discussion Document. The Chairman of the group was Mr. M.L. Shattock, Academic Register, University of Warwick.