Crossposted from Haaretz For a moment it seemed that the Bezalel Art Academy had decided to back down: shelving a plan to build a new campus in the center of Jerusalem, developed by an international team of architects which won a design competition five years ago. For a moment it seemed possible to believe that…
The education policy debate — most notably the decision to cut funding for the high school civics curriculum in favor of increased spending on Bible studies — in Israel last week is turning out to be rather uncivil. The decision — overturned after national uproar — reflects Israel’s ongoing internal discussion over the limitations of…
Two flights above the only synagogue in Aix-en-Provence, the famed birthplace of Paul Cézanne, a bit of Jewish educational history is unfolding. Two years ago, l’Ecole Juive d’Aix en Provence, or EJAP, became the first trilingual elementary school in France to include classes in Hebrew and in English. The school currently serves some 40 children,…
Inaugurated 40 years ago by Darius Milhaud, the only Jewish cultural center in Aix-en-Provence is named after the famous composer and native son. At the time, it was built as a synagogue, yeshiva and social club for a community growing exponentially thanks to waves of emigrants from North Africa. Close to the Rotonde, the fabled…
They may not be Big Boi and Andre 3000 (or even Matisyahu), but to the kids at Jewish day schools and camps who get to rap with Matt Bar and Ori Salzberg, these young Jewish educators are hip-hop stars. The two men call themselves Bible Raps Nation and travel from Jewish camps to Jewish schools…
The story of the development, and the 20th century transformation, of Jewish education in America often centers on two educators: Samson Benderly and Mordecai Kaplan. Frequently absent from the narrative, however, are the female educators who inspired, or were inspired by, Benderly’s and Kaplan’s work. “The Women Who Reconstructed American Jewish Education, 1910-1965” (Brandeis University…
Where do Jewish teenagers across the country stand on issues bound to shape American Jewry? The Forward’s Allison Gaudet Yarrow polled 17- and 18-year-olds entering college within the next year, and asked them their thoughts on Jewish identity, community, education and other hot-button topics. One thing that became overwhelmingly apparent is that today’s young people…
As the daughter of Israeli immigrants, Sharon Bukspan always knew she wanted to spend a year in Israel before attending college, mostly to spend time with family members whom she saw sporadically after her parents moved to the United States. One night this summer, she was riding the New York City subway with her MCAT…
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