Adult Learning and the Jewish Community:
A Conference of Practitioners

“Modernity radically altered the traditional consensus about Jewish belief, belonging, behavior, and sense of purpose,” explains David Starr. “In light of this new reality a newfound interest in innovative Jewish education grew.  All of these movements focused primarily on childhood education and indoctrination.  In doing so, they each neglected the place of learning in the life of the adult Jew.”

Today, as adult Jewish education begins to thrive, two experts in the field, Mandel graduates David Starr, Dean of the Me'ah adult education program at Hebrew College, Brookline, MA, and Leon Morris, Director of the Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning, NYC, collaborated to organize a conference on Adult Learning and Jewish Continuity, which was hosted by the Mandel Leadership Institute.

Opening with a well-attended public panel discussion entitled “Visions of the Adult Jew”, the three-day conference brought together a group of scholars and educators who deal with the expanding field of adult Jewish learning. During the conference they studied together, shared professional concerns, and discussed best practices and issues concerning curriculum.  The conference drew upon the work of Seymour Fox and Israel Scheffler, who contended that theory and practice exist on a continuum of five linked elements, stretching from philosophy to implementation and evaluation. 

The packed agenda included a text study session with Prof. Moshe Halbertal, and a session in which Daniel Marom, director of the Visions of Jewish Education Project and a Mandel faculty member, helped the group explore theories of practice, delving into philosophy of education, concepts of curriculum and how adult education differs from other contexts where learning takes place. 

“We wanted to create a safe space for people to reflect critically on their own practice, with the aid of shared learning and trust,” said Starr.  “Leon Morris and I both felt, based on our own impressions and feedback from colleagues, that we accomplished a lot, particularly the creation of fruitful relationships and reflective thinking about practice. The participants grant the importance of asking more self-critical questions about the assumptions that drive all of us in our work.” he added.