Jewish Learning

Kashkesh – A Hebrew Immersion Program for Young Children

Felice Miller Baritz
Timna Burston
The Journal of Youth Engagement is an online forum of ideas and dialogue for those committed to engaging youth in vibrant Jewish life and living. Join the discussion and become a contributor. By Timna Burston and Felice Miller Baritz Picture this scene: 3rd gradeStudents learning about the Negev desert as part of their Israel unit enter a classroom, which has been transformed into a Bedouin tent. They practice the Mitzvah of welcoming others by handing out tea and acting out short conversations welcoming others in Hebrew. The students hear the biblical story of Abraham and the visit of the three angels at his tent in Hebrew, and learn about Ben Gurion moving his whole life to a small kibbutz in the desert to make the desert bloom. They finish by making their own tiny greenhouses and planting sprouts in them to learn about Negev culture – in Hebrew.
Jewish Learning

Youth Sexuality Education

Year Adopted:
Adopted by the Union for Reform Judaism Board of Trustees June 2004 Background Choices about sexual behavior are among the most complicated decisions teenagers are faced with making, and the potential negative consequences of sexual activity can be tragic for these young men and women.

The William and Frances Schuster Curriculum

Year Adopted:
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.

Tax Credits for Non-Public Schools

Year Adopted:
UAHC Board of Trustees December l972 New York, New York The Union of American Hebrew Congregations has historically opposed using public funds for non-public elementary and secondary schools, believing that such aid would infringe the separation of church and state and have damaging impact on public schools.

Resolution of 35th Council Concerning Educational Motion-Pictures

Year Adopted:
WHEREAS, The use of moving picture films for educational purposes is being made available more and more widely in religious and secular education, and: WHEREAS, There is an inexhaustible field of rich material for such purposes to be found in the bible and in the literary and historic treasures of