Classroom Links:
  Video Enabled e-Learing Classroom
Join Yossie Frankel from JeWWW.org as he reviews the technology used to facilitate this course.
 
   
     
  Video Enabled e-Learning Classroom
View course creator Lee Weissman introducing the rational behind his new curriculum: "Taking Judaism Personally"
 
   
     
  Text File Available
Text overview of
Unit 1 : "Teshuvah – The Journey and The Return to the Source" is now ready for viewing. The video e-Learing version should be available for Fall 2008.
 
     
     
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Coming Soon: JeWWW-TV
Coming Soon: JeWWW-TV, under development for
Fall 2008
 
 
 
A Judaic Studies course by Lee Weissman
in cooperation with:
  Hartman Inst. Logo The Shalom Hartman Tichon Fellows Program and  
  Tarbut V'Torah Jewish Community Day School Tarbut V'Torah Jewish Community Day School  
  Jewish Education on the World Wide Web Jewish Education on the World Wide Web  

For many years, the overwhelming emphasis in community day school education has focused on the creation of the “educated Jew” who solidly identifies with the Jewish people and ultimately affiliates with Jewish institutions and supports Jewish causes.  Curricula have often focused on the ethical and social education of Jews, while excluding exploration of important theological issues and personal spirituality journeys, both of which are crucial for a positive Jewish education.

As a result of the ethical and social focus of day schools, we have perhaps neglected the inner Jew” and deferred the education of the heart and soul to adulthood.  Many teachers have observed, and the research bears out, that many adolescents are deeply interested in spirituality. In fact, in the process of creating their adult selves, they more often look for techniques and inspiration from the world around them. As a result, they may find this guidance in a wide variety of well-packaged, user-friendly inspirational literature and self-improvement programs drawing on diverse sources. 

Often it seems that Jewish spirituality is far less accessible. Like many adults, Jewish teens may be completely unaware of Jewish traditions of spirituality and personal growth which are embedded in communities, texts and practices that may seem exotic or simply unfamiliar to most American Jews.  The goal of this project is to create a curriculum that will enable students to approach the journey of self-definition and personal development from within a Jewish context and framework.  

This curriculum will emphasize stories and storytelling as the means par excellence of communicating these Jewish traditions regarding self-development. Students will become tellers of their own story as well as critical readers/viewers of stories of personal growth in novels and films. Material will be organized according to the rhythms of the Jewish year and may also serve as a “holiday curriculum .”

The course will also include a variety of “Street Torah” assignments and opportunities that will allow students to transform their best new insights into social action.  "Journaling" assignments will also encourage and enable students to more meaningfully internalize and express their insights.

At the outset, the goal of the project is to create a set of curriculum materials that can be used as a course, but might also be used as a resource box” for teachers to address issues of spirituality and personal growth in the context of more traditional community day school curricula .