Can Philosophy and Jewish Thought be Educational Resources?
Modes of Educational Translation, edited by Prof. Jonathan Cohen and Dr. Elie Holzer
From the introduction by Prof. Jonathan Cohen:
“For a period of over two years, a group of highly accomplished scholars, thinkers and educators from the Melton Centre and the Mandel Institute met regularly to explore the issue of educational “translation” from various “external” sources to various kinds of educational contexts, as well the possibility of moving in the opposite direction: from a discussion of known educational projects or practices to the philosophical principles underlying them.”
From their earliest incarnation, Mandel leadership programs have required the study of philosophy and, in some programs, Jewish thought as well. With this guiding principle in mind, the Mandel Leadership Institute, in conjunction with the Melton Center at the Hebrew University, launched a unique, two-year seminar that addressed the interaction between philosophical ideas from Jewish culture on the one hand, and education in Israel and the Diaspora on the other.
Participants in this seminar engaged in the systematic implementation or “translation” of ideas of modern thinkers, such as Emmanuel Levinas, Joseph Hayyim Brenner, Horace Kallen, and Eliezer Schweid, into new modes of action in Jewish and Israeli education.
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The products of the seminar participants’ efforts have been assembled in the book Modes of Educational Translation, jointly published (in Hebrew) by Magnes and the Mandel Foundation. The book was edited by Prof. Jonathan Cohen of the Mandel Leadership Institute and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Dr. Elie Holzer of Bar-Ilan University, a graduate of the Mandel Leadership Institute.
One of the interesting insights that is embedded in the book's format, structure and texts, is that the interdisciplinary learning processes that took place throughout the seminar until the book was compiled were essential for promoting creative new ideas in education, philosophy, research, and practice. |
Some of the essays begin their analysis from a root-concept. Dr. Jen Glaser, for instance, undertakes a thoroughgoing clarification of the concepts of “authenticity” and “integrity”, and inquires as to the implications of these two notions for issues of Jewish self-understanding and practice within the context of contemporary liberal Judaism. She suggests that both concepts "can help guide us in our judgments concerning how to live as Western liberal Jews". Her essay is responded by Israel Sorek who adds that mundane life, tacit basic assumptions and intuitive behaviors of a community, can serve as additional measures for authenticity, and therefore assist in judgments regarding Jewish life and practice.
In the introduction to the book, Prof. Jonathan Cohen describes the fascinating process that he and the seminar participants underwent, from the stage of the unripe idea to the interactions among the participants, and finally, to the maturation of the ideas and application of them to education.
Modes of Educational Translation is the 13th volume in the series “Studies in Jewish Education.” Among the contributors to the book are current and former faculty members of the Mandel programs.
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To see the list of authors and topics addressed in the book click here
