Educators’ Conference Discusses Plans for Wider Jewish Education

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

Dr. Alexander Mordecai Dushkin, Executive Director of the Board of Jewish Education of Chicago, was elected President of the National Council of Jewish Education for the coming year, at the Convention of the Council held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel here. Dr. Leo Honor, present incumbent, was renominated, but declined.

Standards in Jewish Education was the subject of discussion at the Tuesday morning session. Israel Abrams of Pittsburgh presided. Reports were rendered by Jacob S. Golub, supervisor of schools, Board of Jewish Education of Chicago; Louis Hurwich, Supervisor of Hebrew Schools of Boston, and Ben Rosen, Director of the Associated Talmud Torahs of Philadelphia.

Mr. Hurwich, as chairman of the Committee a “Survey of Training Schools for Jewish Teachers”, reported that twelve teachers’ training schools were included in the study, the total enrollment being 779 students. The annual budget of all the schools was $180,000 of which $140,000 are contributed by central educational bodies. Hebrew is the language of instruction in most of the training schools, three of which, in Baltimore, Boston and New York, have the right to confer academic degrees. Mr. Hurwich recommended that the courses of study offered by the different schools be standardized and that minimum requirements be established for schools seeking the right to confer degrees.

Mr. Golub, speaking in behalf of the Committee on a Uniform Jewish School Calendar, recommended that a special school holiday, Kol Israel Chaverim Day, and that an American Jewry Day be set aside to review the contributions which the Jews have made to America. The committees also recommended that longer vacations be granted to teachers to enable them to take summer courses or to travel.

Ben Rosen, who spoke on behalf of the committee which undertook to ascertain the extent to which the subjects of Hebrew and Jewish history have been included in the curriculum of public high schools and colleges, recommended that steps be taken to facilitate the inclusion of these subjects in a larger number of institutions. Plans for negotiations to this end were presented. The results achieved during the past year in the University of Chicago, Harvard University. University of Pittsgurgh and the University of Pennsylvania, were commended.

Dr. Isaac B. Berkson, Instructor of the Jewish Institute of Religion of New York, presided at a session which was devoted to a discussion of Extension Education for Children. A paper on the educational work done by the Young Judea Clubs was read by Samuel J. Borowsky, Executive Chairman of National Young Judea. Albert P. Schoolman, Director of the Central Jewish Institute Camps, reported on the educational facilities of the summer camp.

The Convention will conclude today with a joint session of the National Council for Jewish Education and the National Association of Jewish Community Center Workers, at which the problem of “Extension Education for Youth and Adults” will be considered. Prof. Mordecai M. Kaplan will read a paper on “The Place of Adult Study in Jewish Life”. Dr. Mordecai Soltes. Director of Jewish Extension Education of the Jewish Welfare Board, will present a paper on “Materials and Methods in Club and Mass Activities.” Israel S. Chipkin. Educational Director of the Jewish Education Association of New York, will lead the discussion.

The other officers elected were: Jacob S. Golub, supervisor of the Hebrew Schools of Chicago was elected Secretary. Israel Abrams, Principal of the Hebrew Institute of Pittsburgh was reelected Treasurer. The following were chosen to the Executive Committee: Dr. Samson Benderly. Prof. Mordecai M. Kaplan. Dr. Leo L. Honor. Dr. Isaac B. Berkson. Israel S. Chipkin. of New York; Dr. Emanuel Gamoran of Cincinnati, Louis Hurwieh of Boston. Ben Rosen of Philadelphia, and A. Friedland of Cleveland.