If we can teach the hearts of the children to seek God, there is no doubt their lives will be improved.
-Rebecca Gratz
Dear Friends,
These were the words of Rebecca Gratz, often referred to as the founder of Hebrew Schools in America. Her schools were known to be radically different from other forms of Jewish education at the time – coeducational, with classes conducted in English, meeting once a week, in schools run mostly by women.
Women’s History Month is an appropriate and meaningful time for us to recall the brilliance of many of the wonderful Jewish educators who have made such significant contributions to Jewish education. While names like Sarah Schenirer, Stefania Wilczyńska (Stefa), Jaya Torenberg can be recalled because of their historical significance and impact on Jewish education, it is also an opportune time to pay tribute to the tens of thousands of Jewish educators who constitute an overwhelming majority of those involved in Jewish education today.
In 1838 Rebecca Gratz created the Hebrew Sunday School Society in Philadelphia, which became the launch pad for all Jewish congregational education in North America. Today we might call them Hebrew Schools, Sunday Schools, Congregational Schools, or Supplementary schools.
Later this month The Jewish Education Project will release a census of part-time Jewish education in North America, the first census study conducted since 2006. The report will contain comprehensive information describing who currently attends these educational settings today and what work needs to be done to amplify the impact that part-time Jewish education could and should be having now, and in the future.
The stakes are high. I hope all of us invested in the field find inspiration and practical applications in the report to carry on the vital work Rebecca Gratz pioneered over 150 years ago.
Best,
David
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