Why did God create childhood? Shire explores the ways that Jewish sources have answered this question. He conveys some of the repercussions for Jewish education.
HAYIDION The Prizmah Journal

The Whole Student
One way that day schools stand out is the attention they can provide to each and every student, as expressed in the classic line from Proverbs, “Educate the youth according to his or her path.” Authors here offer numerous ways for schools to address the multi-faceted student to ensure that s/he is nurtured academically, spiritually, creatively and socially.
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Pearlmutter describes a method developed for educators to see the “whole child” beyond the exigencies of classroom performance.
Ben-Avie, a leading researcher of children, explains the causes and symptoms of vulnerability in children, and discusses methods for schools to help.
Kress argues that day schools should structure time in their busy schedules for students to reflect upon the diverse strands of their learning and integrate them into their emerging sense of Jewish identity.
From the Desk of Arnee Winshall, RAVSAK Chair
Nov 30, 2012How many of you walk through your day schools and think, “I wish I could go back to school. I would have loved this environment: the hands-on learning, the singing in English and Hebrew, the community, the holiday celebrations, the art, the soccer games, the Israeli dancing, the projects, the field trips, being in an environment where I am valued, even celebrated, where I make lifelong friends”?
From the Editor
Nov 30, 2012Students are our reason for being. Judaism includes the instruction to teach one’s children in a prayer recited twice daily. Our forefathers declared that a city without a school should be destroyed. For the Jewish people, the transmission of our heritage across the generations is sacred. As educators and leaders of Jewish community day schools, we see the entire Jewish tradition reverberate in the interaction between teacher and student.
What Happens When Schools Teach (Jewish) Law
Nov 30, 2012Broyde and Bedzow argue for the continued relevance of teaching Halakhah as a core subject in day schools to students of all ages, albeit for novel reasons.
Innovative Curriculum and Scheduling for Students’ Benefit
Nov 30, 2012A senior day school administrator encourages schools to design schedules that not only impart a range of content but address student needs with balance and creativity.
Learning, Doing, Becoming: A Journey to Jewish Identity
Nov 30, 2012Kramer and Lev, pioneers in Jewish project-based learning, describe initiatives in different subject areas that help students integrate Jewish teachings into their lives.
Beyond the School House: Applying Jewish Values to Social Action
Nov 30, 2012A mother and daughter who both teach in Jewish day schools show how social action can enlist student passion for causes that exemplify their Jewish values.
Peer Mediation Strengthens Children and Community
Nov 30, 2012The author examines the ways that her school’s programs in peer mediation have a powerful influence in developing student responsibility and self-esteem.
Reshet JD: A New Professional Network for Judaic Studies Leaders
Nov 30, 2012RAVSAK’s Hebrew acronym is not well known. The letters (רבסק) stand for: רשת בתי ספר קהילתיים (Reshet Batei Sefer Kehilatiim), meaning the network of Jewish community day schools. That first Hebrew word, reshet, means network. And now the overarching reshet of RAVSAK is creating networks within that greater one, connecting colleagues from multiple schools to facilitate learning from one another, and to further our growth as professionals.
Listening to Student Voice: The Batsheva-David Story
Nov 30, 2012Dickstein, an experienced Jewish studies teacher and administrator, describes a method for using the exploration of challenging biblical stories to cultivate students’ Jewish identity.
The New “In Loco Parentis”
Nov 30, 2012Changes in family dynamics are affecting the way students need, and parents expect, schools to attend to them. Levy proposes ways that schools should consider student needs beyond the curriculum.
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