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Chief Ideas Officer
Director of the Lippman Kanfer Institute
The Great Depression was not a good time for Jewish education. Enrollments in Jewish schools (almost all "supplementary" in those days) dropped substantially, as families were forced to cut back on "discretionary" spending. Teachers were let go. Many communities drastically cut funding for, and in some cases closed, their central agencies for Jewish education. Does this sound familiar? By most accounts, it took two generations of our children, until the post-war migration to the suburbs, for Jewish education to recover. What's worse is that we'll never know how many Jews drifted away from Jewish life as a result.
We now face another period of widespread economic distress. Clearly, responding to immediate needs for food, shelter, and support is and should be a top priority. But, where will this leave Jewish education? Will we again see students dropping out, teachers being dismissed, and communal support wither?
Not all stories are bleak. In MetroWest there are positive signs that this will not be the case. Our major initiative to strengthen day schools and make them more affordable is moving forward and has become a national model. The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life continues to plan and implement creative new initiatives like our campership program and PJLibrary. Many of our synagogues are engaged in creative work of their own, developing new approaches to congregational education.
Nonetheless, the temptation may emerge, on the individual, institutional, and communal levels, to again put Jewish education in the category of something discretionary, even a "luxury" to be deferred to a more propitious time. This, I believe, would be a drastic mistake. Jewish education is an investment, not just an expenditure. It's an investment in Jewish identity, in menschlichkeit, in creating the kinds of individuals and community that will always respond when the need is great.
We can learn some important lessons from business here. All businesses make efforts during tough times to cut unnecessary expenses. But, the really smart ones know that when the opportunity to grow comes again, they need to be ready. So they continue their R&D, and they maintain their core infra-structures and key personnel to the maximum extent possible. They know how difficult these are to replace once they have been dismantled.
One of the ironies of the present moment is that Jewish education has been on a dramatic upswing in recent years in terms of quality and innovativeness. The new programs we've put in place in MetroWest are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of emerging possibilities for engaging more children, adults, and families in exciting and inspiring Jewish learning. It would be a tragedy if we were to pull back now, when the challenges are great, but so are the possibilities.
The next few years will pose difficult dilemmas when it comes to allocating resources, whether in families, synagogues, schools, or the community as a whole. But if we remember that it is Jewish learning - Torah - that has kept us strong and united through the ages, I'm confident that we will make good choices.
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Transformimg Jewish Lives
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