A prominent American educator said yesterday that Youth Aliyah, the international child rescue movement that brings disadvantaged or endangered Jewish children from abroad to Israel for upbringing and education, may in coming years have to deal with the problem of native-born disadvantaged youngsters in Israel. Dr. Milton Schwebel, dean of Rutgers University’s graduate school of education, said that these children were mainly offspring of immigrants from the Arab countries.
Dr. Schwebel spoke before some 300 leaders of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which sponsors the Youth Aliyah movement. The occasion was a banquet marking the 35th anniversary of Youth Aliyah which wound up a four-day mid-winter conference of the Hadassah national board held to plan activities during the year ahead.
Dr. Schwebel said that Youth Aliyah had developed “unique methods” for dealing with disadvantaged children that stressed “the problems rather than the child’s alleged incapacities.” He said, “The expectation that the child will learn is a highly important factor in the teaching of such children. Youth Aliyah methods may have lessons for us in the United States.”
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.
