Educating in the Divine Image: Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools

by Chaya Rosenfeld Gorsetman, Elana Maryles Sztokman

Overview

Although recent scholarship has examined gender issues in Judaism with regard to texts, rituals, and the rabbinate, there has been no full-length examination of the education of Jewish children in day schools. Drawing on studies in education, social science, and psychology, as well as personal interviews, the authors show how traditional (mainly Orthodox) day school education continues to re-inscribe gender inequities and socialize students into unhealthy gender identities and relationships. They address pedagogy, school practices, curricula, and textbooks, as along with single-sex versus coed schooling, dress codes, sex education, Jewish rituals, and gender hierarchies in educational leadership. Drawing a stark picture of the many ways both girls and boys are molded into gender identities, the authors offer concrete resources and suggestions for transforming educational practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611684599
Publisher:	Brandeis University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Series:	HBI Series on Jewish Women
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	349
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

MICHAH GOTTLIEB is an assistant professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Gendered Lessons in Jewish Schools • Acknowledgments • Introduction: Gender, Judaism, and Educating in the Divine Image • In the Classroom: Gender, Pedagogy, and Teaching • People of the Book: Gender in Jewish Books and Curricula • Separate or Together?: Single-Sex versus Coed Schooling • Tzniut and Dress Codes: Female Body Cover in Jewish Socialization • Building Intimate Relationships: Sex Education and Judaism • The Shul in the School: Socializing into Gender via Jewish Rituals in School • The Broader Context: Gender Hierarchies in Jewish Educational Leadership • Reflections and Conclusions • Appendix A. Practical Educational Resources • Appendix B. Methods • Notes • Glossary • Bibliography • Index

What People are Saying About This

Rabbi Jeffrey S. Fox

“Jewish day schools, and indeed all institutions, communicate values both explicitly and implicitly. It is sometimes those values that are not stated openly, that are seemingly taken for granted, that are actually the most important. Gorsetman and Sztokman are asking the right questions to help all of us drill down to the core values that are driving our community. The two scholars approach their topic with the compassion that they seek to build into Jewish communal education. This book makes an important contribution to the field of Modern Orthodox day school education in particular, as well as creating a model for future research.”

Editorial Reviews

The material they present . . . shows just how far behind the Orthodox Jewish world is in offering equal education to women . . . the community needs to hear their voices.”—The Reporter (Vestal, NY)

From the Publisher