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June 24, 2005
Adult education in mini school
Audience gives an enthusiastic reception for Florence Melton launch.
Monika Ullmann
Dr. Seymour ("Epi") Epstein wants Jewish communities
to help him eradicate what he calls "pediatric Judaism"
- and he thinks that the new Florence Melton mini school, slated
to start classes in September, is the perfect vehicle for it.
The Vancouver school was formally launched on June 8, linking over
20,000 adults in more than 60 mini schools throughout the Jewish
world. Epstein - an executive with the Toronto board of Jewish education
- wasted no time in explaining himself.
He told a story about an encounter with a high-ranking official
in an international Jewish organization who didn't know how to read
Hebrew texts.
Epstein blames a lack of educational opportunities and a watered-down
approach to Judaic studies in general.
"In North America, we have not allocated enough resources to
Jewish adult education," he said. "Most of our investment
has gone into programs for children. The result is that we have
failed miserably in encouraging Jewish literacy - we don't know
our history and our languages, even at high levels of Jewish organizations."
It's not that courses at synagogues and other Jewish organizations
are to blame, said Epstein. But there is something different about
the Melton program, he explained to the capacity audience at the
Wosk Auditorium in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
The school has a philosophical approach. First, there's a strong
commitment to encouraging "respectful disagreement" on
interpretation of Judaism from all streams, including secular Jews.
Epstein said there used to be a spirit of "accommodation,"
which precluded disagreement in the past. But that stage is now
done, and a new era of spirited discussion has begun.
Second, Epstein noted that traditional Judaic texts are rarely interpreted
from a modern, adult point of view. He believes that biblical stories
can yield unexpected insights, relevant to the way we live today.
As an example, he cited the second creation story from Genesis 2:18
and 2:23.
He said the second part of the story - where "a man leaves
his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become
one flesh" is a perfect example of how this mythic, pre-Jewish
text encapsulates a deep, human truth not easily dealt with in everyday
life. The story, he said, parallels the parental experience of having
a teenager who is just beginning to date - mirroring the anxiety
parents feel as their children leave the family fold.
School director Betty Nitkin briefly outlined how the school will
operate. Students are not required to do a second term, but most
do because they get interested in their studies, said Nitkin. Students
study Purposes of Jewish Living and Rhythms of Jewish Living during
the first year and Dramas of Jewish Living and Ethics of Jewish
Living during the second year. Students who wish to go on can then
enrol in a special graduate seminar at the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem, where the program originated more than 15 years ago.
There are four other cities in Canada with Melton schools: Montreal,
Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg. Plans are under way to translate the
entire curriculum into Hebrew, so Israeli citizens can also benefit
from the program.
To facilitate study in Hebrew, special classes are also available
with Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan, who is the rabbi at Or Shalom Synagogue
and will be teaching the Rhythms of Jewish Living class at the new
school. Rabbi Schachar Orenstein, from Congregation Shaarey Tefilah,
will teach the Purpose of Jewish Living class.
Nitkin was hoping to get enough interest for one full class of 25.
Within days of the presentation, there were enough respondents to
fill two classes. "It's spreading like wildfire," said
Nitkin.
Monika Ullmann is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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