Adopted by the Board of Trustees
May 1992
Minneapolis, MN
BACKGROUND
The William and Frances Schuster Curriculum was set into motion in 1975. From 1981 to the present, curriculum guidelines, supporting lesson plans, and
teacher guidance materials have been introduced into our congregations for pre-school through adult years.
The Schuster curriculum has been widely praised. The Israel-Diaspora Institute of Tel Aviv University singled it out as the finest example of curriculum development in Jewish life.
Now that a full decade of trial and testing has elapsed, it is time to ascertain where and how the Schuster Curriculum has succeeded best, as well as where further initiatives are required to guarantee its continued strength and vitality. It is imperative that we ensure that the curriculum's impact matches its conceptual excellence.
THEREFORE , the Union of American Hebrew Congregations:
- Extends heartfelt thanks to William and Frances Schuster for enabling the creation of this life-long road map for Jewish learning and experience;
- Affirms a commitment to ongoing review and consequent revision and strengthening of the current documents;
- Calls upon the Joint Commission on Jewish Education to institute a curriculum evaluation, conducted by independent experts, specifically with respect to curriculum usage, acquisition of Jewish knowledge, embrace of Jewish values and appropriateness of current UAHC texts and materials; and
- Further calls upon the Joint Commission to undertake a comprehensive curriculum review in terms of recommended texts, utilizing original source material wherever possible.