Five hundred lay and professional Jewish educators from 28 countries, including 150 from the United States, opened the first World Conference on Jewish Education here tonight. The meeting sponsored by the World Conference of Jewish Organizations, a consultative body including the representatives of 10 major Jewish agencies on six continents, will last all this week.
A survey released to the delegates yesterday showed that half of the estimated 1,573,000 Jewish youths of school age in the free countries of the world, outside Israel, receive some kind of formal Jewish education. But in many cases, the study showed, the majority of pupils get no more than the equivalent of third grade or fourth grade Jewish education.
The study showed there are only 163,000 Jewish youths of school age today in the European countries where Jewish education is allowed — less than 9 per cent of the number of school-age Jewish pupils in Europe in prewar years. In the United States, the figures showed, there are 600,000 pupils. The data showed there are 25,000 Jewish teachers in the world, 17,000 of them 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.
