Convening on Gender and Jewish Education
Scholars and practitioners gathered May 31, 2023, at Brandeis University to discuss the topic of gender and Jewish education. This invitation-only convening, co-sponsored by MCSJE and the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, centered around three goals: (a) to provide a forum to discuss the intersection of gender and Jewish education, (b) to build a community of scholars to think together about those ideas, and (c) to generate a set of short papers about those ideas.
The convening was structured around three focal questions, described as:
- How and in what ways should ideas developed in contemporary gender studies affect the substance of Jewish education (its curriculum)?
- How and in what ways should ideas developed in contemporary gender studies affect the processes of Jewish education (its pedagogies)?
- How and in what ways should ideas developed in contemporary gender studies affect the desired outcomes of Jewish education?
The planning team for the gender and Jewish education convening consisted of Ora Weinbach (Maimonides School), Shira Epstein (William Davidson Graduate School of Education at JTS), and Jane Kanarek (Hebrew College Rabbinical School), as well as Jon Levisohn (MCSJE) and Jenny Small (MCSJE). A small group of scholars of Jewish culture and history and practitioners/activists who are engaged with gender were invited to offer responses to one of the focal questions. These responses served as the basis for discussion by the group. Subsequently, the participants will developed these responses into short, 2-3 page thought pieces on gender and Jewish education, available below.