Over a period of 13 years, I taught a class in photography to high school students, using a taxonomy I developed based on my own understanding of what makes for excellence in photography. Five of the elements of this taxonomy are explained and illustrated by photographs taken by my students; I submit these as evidence of my success in this…

In an era of profound antisemitism, it is essential that higher education leaders and campus communities provide additional, direct support to Jewish students. In this space, we introduce recent literature on Jewish identity expressions and campus climates for bolstering Jewish appreciation in hopes of catalyzing necessary conversations with…

This paper reviews the taxonomies and characteristics of Israel education articulated by Benji Davis and Dr. Hanan Alexander while suggesting that their specific educational philosophy, Mature Zionism, ought not be siloed only to educating about Israel but rather extended to Jewish education writ large. Developing a framework of Israel literacy…

This Notes in Brief contribution explores instances of Holocaust denial on college campuses and addresses issues of academic freedom for faculty as well as students. The author explores questions regarding how we teach the Holocaust and how to better decrease denial and antisemitism.

The movie "Lansky" presents a version of the memoirs of Meyer Lansky, a central figure in the origin and management of the national crime syndicate. The development of the Syndicate accompanies the story of Lansky's life and career. The evolution from a traditional to a modern organization is discussed as an example of the use by…

Malka Haas (1920-2021) was a key pioneer in the founding of Israeli kibbutz kindergartens, and she profoundly influenced both the curriculum and practice of early childhood education (ECE) for the entire country. The article reviews Haas's biography, her professional development, and the main principles in her educational approach: "the…

When Israel, Jewish identity and education are each in a state of profound flux, Israel education for Jews will necessarily be dynamic. In response, an orienting prism is proposed which seeks that Jews inquire appreciatively into Israel with diverse Israelis, whilst using historical thinking. The aim is that there emerge numerous ethical paths to…

This article uses diverse genres in addressing "The Jewish Question(s)," a phrase with multiple meanings ranging from the antisemitic to the deeply philosophical. The focus is on addressing "The Jewish Question" in literacy research and theory. The article is organized in three parts. The first part, Jewish Literacy Practices…

How can we help students understand the Holocaust in its full historical complexity, particularly when they often come to class with misconceptions arising from the representation of the Holocaust in popular culture? Over a three-year period, Sam Ineson set out to integrate the historical Holocaust into his school's formal and informal curriculum,…

For thousands of years Jewish law was based on revelation and precedent. God's will, as revealed in scripture, was determinative: it demarcated what was permitted, required and prohibited. A contemporary rabbi could offer only a slight emendation of precedents. The early modern period, however, witnessed a dramatic shift in Jewish norm-making. A…

Four recent movies and broadcasts have brought our attention to historical episodes of racism, anti-semitism, authoritarianism, and murder in the first half of the Twentieth Century. These episodes had been largely forgotten as the history of social progress has been celebrated. New attention to past events as presented in the four works is…

Amsterdam's National Holocaust Museum is due to open in March 2024. It is the first and only museum to tell the story of the attempt by the Nazis to eradicate Jews from the Netherlands, a history of segregation, persecution, and murder. Yet the story is also one of rescue, survival, and solidarity. One of the museum's main goals is to engage…

Following the lead of Israel Education: A Philosophical Analysis, Gringras first explores the idea of complexity in Israel Education, suggesting that inconsistencies are due more to emotional complexity than to the intellectual complexity of the subject matter. Due to these ideological and emotional complexities, Israel has become a wedge issue in…

What does a learning center for civic education do in a museum environment? How and why can democracy be taught in a museum? The Museum Arbeitswelt in Steyr, Austria, offers with its "Politikwerkstatt" a learning environment for people of different age groups where they can learn, discuss, and talk about democracy. This article shows the…

Ernst Papanek (1900-1973) was an Austrian pedagogue who, between 1938 and 1940, was responsible for children's homes in France he directed for the OSE (Oeuvre de secours aux en-fants). In these children's homes at Montmorency, close to Paris, Papanek tried to treat the traumatized children who had lost their homes, their parents, and those who…