Generation Bubelah: Jewish education shortcomings

It wasn't until I traveled to Israel, in my early twenties, that I really started to think about what it means to be Jewish. During my birthright Israel trip, I realized that I knew very little about my religion.

Because I went to a non-denominational school my Jewish education was limited to Hebrew school, two days a week, and one day of Sunday school. During my formative years, and I can only speak for myself, I wasn't interested in learning about Judaism. Since Hebrew and Sunday school were tacked on to my daily education, and because I only had to attend up to a certain age, I treated the subject matter as inconsequential.

There was a clear divide between my general education and Jewish education. As I grew older the separation widened and soon my Jewish education came to a complete stop. Once bat-mitzvahed I no longer needed to attend Hebrew or Sunday school, and it was at this time that I somewhat left the realm of Jewish education altogether. During this break, about sixteen years, I still attended synagogue with my family, had Shabbat dinner every Friday night, but my knowledge of Judaism was limited to only the traditions that I grew up with. What was it about my Jewish education that didn't engage me? Why didn't I want to know more about my heritage? Had my afternoon classes pushed me away from the topic?

From reading through literature on Jewish education, it seems the most fundamental concerns for institutions in the 21^st century are curriculum, qualified teachers, and community. When I attended Hebrew and Sunday school it wasn't the material itself that bored me, but more the lack of creativity and imagination that went into the teaching. When I was younger we performed plays, made a lot of Challah covers and paper menorahs but as I got older, the classes were less interactive. I think institutions spend a great deal of time making classes fun for kids but are stumped when it comes to engaging the older ones.

After my bat mitzvah I was excited because I no longer had to attend Hebrew and Sunday school. At that point in my life I remember feeling that my Jewish education was getting in the way of other things I wanted to do. After school I wanted to hang out with my friends, I wanted to go to ballet class or study in my room; I felt that those activities were more important because I could see how they affected my daily life. If I hung out with my friends, I was being social. If I went to ballet class, I was improving my technique for a performance. If I studied in my room, I would do well on an upcoming test.

With my Jewish education, it seemed the only reason I attended was to become bat mitzvahed, so when that was over, I couldn't see the role it played in my day-to-day.

Going to Hebrew school after a full day of classes, the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a classroom and listen to a lecture, or read through a book one page at a time. What would have made my Jewish education more meaningful? Or what needed to happen to keep me interested in learning about Judaism after I turned thirteen?

I think that if the classes would have been more discussion based and interactive, or if instead of sitting at individual desks we sat around a circular table and talked about how Jewish themes are present and play a role in our daily lives, I would've become more interested in the subject matter. One has to be able to apply what they are learning in the real world, this was what I found most difficult. I couldn't see the connection between what I was learning in Hebrew and Sunday school to the world outside of my classroom.

Although it may sound selfish, I think for teenagers to stay interested in any material, they need to know how it affects them directly; they need to have options.

When I was younger more Jews lived within Jewish communities, had Jewish friends and partners; however, today, many Jews no longer live within Jewish communities, have Jewish friends or Jewish partners. If connecting to teenagers was a concern for institutions when I was growing up, now more than ever, with changing Jewish communities, it needs to become a priority.

For this to happen, institutions should focus more on common interests to engage people in Jewish themes and have more options for students to choose from. What about teaching a geography class with a focus on Jewish communities? Or what about offering a class about Jewish writers, artists, and musicians? Instead of having one class on one subject, present more classes on many subjects so students can chose the one they are most interested in.

If Jewish institutions can connect more with the interest of the individual, and focus on general topics that include Jewish themes, maybe teenagers will be less likely to abandon their Jewish education at such an early age.