Getting a Jewish Education
Title
Getting a Jewish Education
Creator
Jacob Schlitt
Description
"My friend Phil suggested that, when we have our next Reading Out Loud, we discuss 'Judaism, Our Children and Us.'"
Date
2007
Format
application/pdf
Type
text
Language
en
Identifier
GETTING_A_JEWISH_EDUCATION
Text
GETTING A JEWISH EDUCATION
My friend Phil suggested that, when we have our next Reading Out Loud, we discuss "Judaism, Our Children and Us." Over the years we have touched on different aspects of this topic. It is important to us, and it is perhaps the single most important concern of the organized Jewish community. Each of us who make up our little group we call Reading Out Loud is Jewish and we tried in our own way to pass on a sense of Jewish identity to our children. But how?
The most important way of doing this is by setting an example in the home. If we set the tone, our children will see this as the norm and will simply accept it. So what is a Jewish home? For some people, it is a "kosher" home: Two sets of dishes, no mixing meat and milk, no non-kosher food. For others, observing Shabes: candle lighting, blessing the children, having a Shabes meal, wine and the Kiddush, challah with the Motzi, Birchat Hamazon after the meal, the works. For still others, going to Shul occasionally and observing the holidays.
A Jewish home should "look" Jewish. It should have a Mezuzah on the doorpost, Jewish themed art, pictures of parents and grandparents, ideally, the grandfather with a beard, a Ketubah, and lots of books. The books should include the Tnach, and lots of Jewish themed books, religious and secular, and American Jewish authors—Bellow, Malamud, Roth, and I B Singer and Yiddish authors. The parents should be involved with Jewish communal organizations, and contribute to Jewish charities. Having a "pushke" in the house and putting in money each week makes a statement. If the parents are involved in some form of Jewish study, that makes a statement as well.
My friend Phil suggested that, when we have our next Reading Out Loud, we discuss "Judaism, Our Children and Us." Over the years we have touched on different aspects of this topic. It is important to us, and it is perhaps the single most important concern of the organized Jewish community. Each of us who make up our little group we call Reading Out Loud is Jewish and we tried in our own way to pass on a sense of Jewish identity to our children. But how?
The most important way of doing this is by setting an example in the home. If we set the tone, our children will see this as the norm and will simply accept it. So what is a Jewish home? For some people, it is a "kosher" home: Two sets of dishes, no mixing meat and milk, no non-kosher food. For others, observing Shabes: candle lighting, blessing the children, having a Shabes meal, wine and the Kiddush, challah with the Motzi, Birchat Hamazon after the meal, the works. For still others, going to Shul occasionally and observing the holidays.
A Jewish home should "look" Jewish. It should have a Mezuzah on the doorpost, Jewish themed art, pictures of parents and grandparents, ideally, the grandfather with a beard, a Ketubah, and lots of books. The books should include the Tnach, and lots of Jewish themed books, religious and secular, and American Jewish authors—Bellow, Malamud, Roth, and I B Singer and Yiddish authors. The parents should be involved with Jewish communal organizations, and contribute to Jewish charities. Having a "pushke" in the house and putting in money each week makes a statement. If the parents are involved in some form of Jewish study, that makes a statement as well.
Original Format
application/msword
Collection
Citation
Jacob Schlitt, “Getting a Jewish Education,” Autobiographical stories & other writing by Jacob Schlitt, accessed April 28, 2024, https://tsirlson.omeka.net/items/show/52.