Figure 1.--The Jewish cheder originating in Eastern Europe is one of the oldest continuing functioning primary education systems in the world. It was essentially an early form of public education and very succesful. Thanks to the cheder, Jews had higher literacy levels than their Christian neighbors throughout Eastern Europe. Jews as emancipation proceeded in Europe and secular public education became available began to criticize cheder education. The cheder, however, has never disappeared although as the result of the Sovies and NAZIs were obliterated in Easten Europe along with Jewish communities there. This one actually operates in Brooklyn.

One of the major historical questions about Judaism is how this small group of people survived with their religion not only in the Levant facing poweful terifying enemies like Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia for a millenium, but then in often highly hostile Christian Europe for two millenia. Many factors are involved, but high up the list has to be education and the value Jews placed on education. Judaism was different not only because it was the first great monohesistic rligion, but becaue every Jew no matter how humble had a personal relationship with God. And the convenent was not between God and rulers or priests, but btween God and every Jew. The Jewish law was the core of Judaism, and Jews like later day Protestants believe that every Jew mot only hould, but had an obligaion to understand the convenent with God. And this meant reading and sudying the Torah. The tradition of Jewish education thus goes back to the earliest days of Judaism and is clearly stated in the Torah (Pentateuch). These are the first five books of the Old Testament tht conservative scholars believe were written by Moses. A primary duty of Jewish parents is to instruct or provide for the instruction of their children. This is not only a tradituon, but is specifically set out in the first paragraph of the Shema Yisrael prayer: “Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and your gates.” [Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Deut 32:7.] And reverences to education also appear in the Book of Proverbs. We read, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your mind retain my commandments; For they will bestow on you length of days, years of life and well-being.“ [Proverbs 3:1-2).] For centuries after the Diaspora, Jews taught their children to read at a time whn even princes and the nobility througout Europe were commomly iliterate. The Church was the respository of learning in Europe, but until Luther and the Reformation, there was no real interest among the heirarchy in educating the common people. The same dynamic was at play in Muslim lands, although there was never a Reformation in Islam to stimulate public education. The Jewish cheder originating in Eastern Europe is one of the oldest continuing functioning primary education systems in the world. It was essentially an early form of public education and very succesful. Thanks to the cheder, Jews had higher literacy levels than their Christian neighbors throughout Eastern Europe. Jews as emancipation proceeded in Europe and secular public education became available began to criticize cheder education. The cheder, however, has never disappeared although as the result of the Sovies and NAZIs were obliterated in Easten Europe along with Jewish communities there. This one actually operates in Brooklyn (figure 1).

Historical Question

One of the major historical questions about Judaism is how this small group of people survived with their religion not only in the Levant facing poweful terrifying enemies, the greatvpowers of the age--like Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia for a millenium. Than during the classical era the Jews had to contend with the Greeks and Romans. And finally theulived a ninorities in hostile Christian Europe and the Islamic Middle East and North Africa. This all went on for an incredible four milleni and still the Jews survived while the great empire came asnd wrent. Many factors are involved in the Jewish story, but high up the list has to be education and the value Jews placed on education.

Destinctive Chracter of Judaism

Judaism was different not only because it was the first great monohesistic rligion, but becaue every Jew no matter how humble believed that he had had a personal relationship with God. And the convenent was not between God and rulers or priests, but btween God and every Jew. There were no priests abd mulhas betwen the Jew and his God. A rabbai was not a priest, but a teacher. The Jewish law was the core of Judaism, and Jews like later day Protestants believe that every Jew mot only could, but had an obligaion to understand the convenent with God.

Literacy

The obligation of every Jew to read and understand the Torah (Pentateuch). And this meant reading and sudying. The tradition of Jewish education thus goes back to the earliest days of Judaism and is clearly stated in the Torah. These are the first five books of the Old Testament tht conservative scholars believe were written by Moses. A primary duty of Jewish parents is to instruct or provide for the instruction of their children. This is not only a tradituon, but is specifically set out in the first paragraph of the Shema Yisrael prayer: “Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and your gates.” [Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Deut 32:7.] And reverences to education also appear in the Book of Proverbs. We read, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your mind retain my commandments; For they will bestow on you length of days, years of life and well-being.“ [Proverbs 3:1-2).] Thus for centuries before the Diapora and centuries after, Jews taught their children to read at a time whn even princes and the nobility througout Europe were commomly iliterate.

Christinity and Islam

The Church after the fall of Rome was the respository of learning in Europe, but until Luther and the Reformation, there was no real interest among the heirarchy in educating the common people. The same dynamic was at play in Muslim lands, although there was never a Reformation in Islam to stimulate public education. Thus in both Chrisendom and the Muslim lands, Jewish literacy was higher than the case for the general population. Thus in both realms, Jews were some of the best educated individuals in society. It also mean that despite many restrictions and prohibitions, that someJews did very well. Tragically this played into anti-semitic feelings. Many envied the success of the Jews.

The Cheder

The Jewish cheder is also known as Jewish day schools--a primasry level school. The cheder originating in Eastern Europe. It is one of the oldest continuing functioning primary education systems in the world. It was essentially an early form of public education and very succesful. Thanks to the cheder, Jews had higher literacy levels than their Christian neighbors throughout Eastern Europe. Jews as emancipation proceeded in Europe and secular public education became available began to criticize cheder education. The cheder, however, has never disappeared although as the result of the Sovies and NAZIs were obliterated in Easten Europe along with Jewish communities there. This one actually operates in Brooklyn (figure 1).

The Yeshiva

The Yeshiva originated in Mishnaic (early Disaporah) and Talmudic times young men began studies at a beth din (court of Jewish law). They reportedly sat in three rows and listened to the proceedings. They progressed toward the front as the othrer students were elevated to sit on the court. After the abolishment of a formal court system, yeshivot became the main institutiomn for Torah study. The Talmud itself is believed to have been composed largely in the yeshivot of Sura and Pumbedita during the Babylonian Captivity. The leading figures in Jewish intelectul life taught in the Yeshivas. Yeshivot remain of central importance in the modern Jewish Orthodox community. Until the 19th century an emancipatio, gifted Jewish youth commonly studied under the tutalage of local rabbi. Rabbi were allocated funds by the Jewish community to maintain a small number of students. The Hasidic masters and the Lithuanian rabbi Chaim Volozhin are commonlyh credited with founding centralised yeshivot. Modern Yeshiva are critized for neglecting secular ubjects like math and science. For this reason, yeshiva students often donnot do well is standardized testing assessing college candidates.

Public Education

Public educatio grew out of the schools establishec in Protestant Europe with the reformation. The first public scholls were founded in the Protestant states of Germany (18th century). At the time Jews were not emancipated and did not attend these schools. The first public schools we know of that Jewish children attenced were in america. There were, hiwever, very small numbers of Jews in America. This did not change until after the Civil War when Tsarist pogroms began driving Jews into Western Europe and America. These Jews were the first to attend public secular schools in large numbers. At the same time, emancipation in Western Europe opened the public schools as well.

The Holocaust

The first Jews to be targeted by the NAZIs were adult men who were fired from their civil service jobs. But this was just the beginning as more a more occupations were targetefd as well as extra-legal actions. The children were of course not unaffected. When men lose their jobs, they can no longer support their families. Jewish children were also affected by the way teachers treated them as well as rising violence at the hands of other students, Given the improtance that Jews placed on education, it was ineviavle that Jewsish education and students would be targeted by the NAZIs. Many Jewish children were already driven from the public schools by the time the NAZI Nuremberg Laws were decreed (September 1935). This gave NAZI authorities the authority to expel Jewish children from the public schools. The Jewish community began organizing schools for the children. This proved difficult because NAZI authorities were also seizing Jewish property. This any substantial facilities were seized. The Jewish community did the best they could with the resoyrces they were available to them. Considerable emphasis was placed on English as most parents were attempting to emograte, especiallyh to America or England. After Hitler launched the war, the NAZIs began to set up ghettoes for Polish Jews. And German authorities began deporting German families milies began to be deported to the ghettoes. Ghettoes regulations varied, but ultimtely any form of scholl or education was prohibited. The school situauin varies in the different occupied countriesm but the general process was expulsion and concentation in preparation gor transport to the death camps.

Kibbutz Education

No religion has placed a greater importance on education that Judaism. It is surely the reason that this relatively small group located in the most heavily contended spot on earth have survived for milenia even after defear by some of the most powerful empires in history and then in a diaspora in wguch they became a despised minirity in the Christian and MUslim socitis. Jews were expected to provide for the educatgion of their children wih included reading a studying the Torah. This meantg literacy was required , even in socities in which only a smll number of people were literate. Zionism had two fonding traditions. One was was religious--varius threads of Judaism. The other was socialism which was not favorably disposed toward Judaism. While rejecting or a least initerested in theoology, the socialists who were the driving force in the Kibbutz Movement continued the Jewish focus on education. Not only did they see education as as important, but they had some rafical ideasabour the education to be provided the children of the kibbuz. Here there were variationb from kibbutz to kibbutz, but many common themes. The approach as communal education. The kibbutz communication took responsibility for both child care and education. Each child would get 12 years of education of the same quality and the parents would have no impact on that education. This continue throufgh the 1980s when Isrealis began to reassess their education system. The education nd child care system was essentially merged. Contact with parents were limited to 2-3 hours at the end of he day and did not affect resources allocated to the children. The governing elements were first communal responsibility and second equality. Every child received the same share of everything produced at the kibbutz. Parents had no economic role in raising their own children. The chilkdren lived in the Children's house. Here their care takers coordinated closely with their teachers and workplace foremen. Work was a part of their education. At first this meant field work. But as kibbutzes developmed, a wide ramge of businesses were founded. At first these were food related industries, but over time industries that had no relation to agricultre. This work experiences could be quite varied. European Jews came from countries with highly selective education systems. As a part of the socialist ethic, equality and a rejection of selectivity became central to kibbutz education. Every child receive basically the same 12 years of education. The children were not given tests or grades. Assigned work responsibilities were an important part of the educational expoerience. Just as the Soviet Union was seeking to create the Soviet Man, Israeli kibbutzes were seeking to create their own utopian vision of the New Man, but without the violence and repression of the Soviet state. [Gavron, p. 157.]

Israeli Education

Modern Jewsish education began with the Eastern European cheder, one of the oldest continually functioning systems of primary education. Modern Israel has one of the finest school systems in the world. This is not surprising given the traditiinal Jewish respect and support for education. Surely one of the reasons that Jews managed to exist as a small minority in Chistian Europe and the Islamic Middle East was the education of their children. At a time when the vast majority of people throughout the Middle East and Europe were illiterate, Jewish children were taught to read abd write, in part so they could read and study the Torah. In this regard they were similar to the Protestants that emerged fromnthe Reformation. Thus it is not surprise that Israel from its foundation have given considerable attention to education. Thus Israel has the finest educational system in the Middle East. Some countries with oil-based economies like Saudi Arabia have belt wonderful physical facilities, but none of the countries have achieved the same academic results. We do not yet have much information about Israeli schools. We do have a page on kibbutz child care. Isreali school children have not worn uniforms. Fashions were influenced by the generally European origins of most Isrealis. Early images mostly show boys wearing short pants. Climate was another factor. Fashions since the 1970s have generall been the same as the American-influenced pan-European fashions worn in Europe, again affected by the climate. A HBC reader describes the experiences at one school in 1979. We also note the first day of school at an Isreali primary school. The children all wear sport casual styles. Sandals seem very popular. We also see very large book packs. Hopefully our Isreli readers will provide us some information about Isreli schools and schoolwear.

Sources

Gavron, D. The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000).

Created: 11:54 PM 6/10/2015
Last updated: 4:08 PM 10/12/2015