An Alternative Perspective on Training Jewish Communal Workers


 

Publication Date:

Publisher: Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Bernard Reisman

Research Area: Education

Keywords: Professionalism; Higher Education; Jewish Content

Type: Report

Coverage: Massachusetts

Abstract:

This article explores the impact of implementing new curricula for training Jewish communal workers in the graduate and post-graduate setting. The author asserts that a tension exists in current graduate school curricula between emphasizing the Judaic requirement and the technical skills. The author acknowledges this dichotomy, though suggests that there is a strong need for more courses in Jewish history, culture, and religion. Lastly, the author holds that in assimilating all of these factors, the curriculum should always teach the student to be a self-directed and independent practitioner.

In Journal of Jewish Communal Service, 52:4