Dr. Israel M. Goldman, president of the Rabbinical Assembly of America, national organization of the Conservative rabbinate, proposed today that Conservative Jews abolish Sunday school training within five years in order to strengthen new types of Jewish education.
Speaking at the Rabbinical Assembly Conference on Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Dr. Goldman declared: “The Sunday school misleads both Jewish children and Jewish parents into believing that a Jewish education is being imparted, when as a matter of fact it does nothing of the kind. We will have to uproot many other useless and injurious growths, and in their place plant more fruitful and more productive Jewish educational instruments.”
Emphasizing that “the major preoccupation of American Jews in this hour is with philanthropy,” Dr. Goldmann said: “While we, the rabbis, glory in the fact that our people are exemplifying this noble virtue, we must issue the warning that philanthropy is not enough. There are many Jews who are eating up their spiritual and psychic capital, who will find that in the crises of this age, they will just not be able to survive as integrated personalities without some new deposits of ethical value and spiritual aspirations. This can only be achieved through programs of Jewish education on all levels–adult, youth and child.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
