Family Matters: Jewish Education in an Age of Choice

by Jack Wertheimer (Editor)

In recent years, the high rate of intermarriage and other demographic factors have created a challenge for American How can rabbis, policy planners, educators, and parents transmit most effectively Jewish religion, culture, and values to their children? Prior research shows that Jewish education is the one area in which communal leaders and lay people can act to make a positive difference in the future cultural transmission of Judaism. Family Matters offers groundbreaking essays on Jewish education by scholars drawn from anthropology, education, history, and sociology. Essays by Steven M. Cohen, Sylvia Barack Fishman, Shaul Kelner, Jeffrey S. Kress, Alex Pomson, Riv-Ellen Prell, and Jack Wertheimer range from interviews about educational decisions with families, teenagers, and Jewish educators to sweeping new statistical data about the actual state of Jewish education in American cities. Making new links among parents, community, and Jewish schools, Family Matters is a vital study in the sociology of the contemporaryAmerican Jewish community.

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[Charles Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly useful collection of essays on Jewish education relating to communities, parents, schools, and students. It will be a rare day that I don't pull this off my shelf to check a data point, or an argument in favor of increased community support for Jewish education.