CONFRONTING THE RABIN ASSASSINATION IN OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

PART II The Subject Matter

Despite the Differences noted in the various curricula under consideration here, all three are dedicated to the proposition that knowledge is central to the forming of the Jew. The 1978 curriculum, appearing as it does at a time in which many Jewish educators have opted for an emphasis on affective experience, reaffirms the assertion that “An empty-headed person cannot be sin fearing, nor can an ignorant person be truly pious.” The centrality of subject matter in each of the curricula invites a comparison of the levels of achievement to which they aspire. In this section we propose an analysis of several areas of the curricula and thereby to arrive at an estimate of what the student “knows” and is capable of doing if the course of study in these subjects is completed as planned.