5,000 New Teachers for Jewish Schools Seen Needed for Next 10 Years

A national effort to cope with the unprecedented shortage of qualified teachers for Jewish religious schools has been launched by the American Association for Jewish Education at the meeting of its Board of Governors here today.

Functioning as the national service agency for Jewish education, the American Association for Jewish Education brings together all the elements in the American Jewish community in a concerted effort to advance the standards, scope, and achievements of Jewish religious education in this country.

“Jewish education is rapidly approaching a crisis, if a long-range program and series of stop-gap measures will not be undertaken without delay,” Philip W. Lown, president of the Association, told the gathering. In a dramatic recital of facts and figures, accentuated by case stories from various communities, Mr. Lown focussed attention on the extent of the teachers shortage.

“While there is a student population of approximately 400,000 children in week-day and Sunday religious schools, and while this student population is steadily increasing, there are only about 4,000 full-time professional teachers at the disposal of these schools,” he reported.

“About 5,000 new teachers will be needed for the next 10 years, while on the basis of available enrollment statistics, all existing Teachers’ Training Institutions combined will be able to furnish only less than 20 percent of the total requirement,” Mr. Lown estimated.

In realization of the great dangers inherent in this state of affairs to the development of Jewish religious and cultural life in this country, he presented plans, which the Board of Governors of the Association unanimously approved, for a concerted national effort to alert and arouse the American Jewish community to this foremost challenge to its spiritual existence.