[HANASHIR:8066] Re: What makes a song Jewish (Tu B'Shevat songs)

[Eric Simon <erics...>]

>You used this argument to extol a Jewish education model based on Hebrew 
>language, content and literacy (I would imagine).

Well, replace the word "Hebrew" with the word "Jewish", then, yes, this is
precisely what I advocate.

>We'll do our own songs, 
>we'll give the students lots of content because we are the most Jewishly 
>illiterate generation in history.

Right.  Are we just entertainment providers, or music _teachers_.

If we are _teachers_ then we owe the next generation at least this: to
transmit our heritage to them.

>I see this as based on fear.  As in, the fear that we're losing our
identity, 
>fear of intermarriage etc.

Well, yes, we ought to be fearful that intermarriage has reached the levels
that it has, don't you think?

We ought to be fearful that in 1960 out of a population of 180 million, we
had 6 million Jews, and now of 250+ million we have 5.5 million Jews in
America.

But despite that, I don't advocate based on "fear" -- I advocate because we
have a glorious heritage and most Jews I know only understand about two
percent of it.

Why do American schools teach about George Washington, the federalist
papers, and so on.  So they can be lawyers in the future?  No, so they can
be responsible American citizens, and so we can continue to pass on our
American heritage.  Is it fear?  No.

And, so, we need to pass on our Jewish heritage so our children can be
responsible Jews, and so that they have something to pass on to their
children.

As another poster noted, most of our kids are exposed to American culture
99% of the time, and we get them 1% of the time.  The least we can do is
make sure that during our 1% they get Jewish stuff.

>Better we should teach a Judaism based on love.  One that feels positive, 
>that instills confidence.

I agree!  I love Judaism.  But Jews aren't called "people of the book" for
nothing!  Judaism has a heritage that is so tremendously large that it is
almost incomprehensible.  It is our duty to pass that on to the next
generation.

For movements that are based on "informed choice", we owe a duty to get our
kids to be "informed", no?

For movements that are halachicly based, we owe a duty to get our kids to
understand the halacha, no?

>To base the success of Jewish Education in 
>America 2001, on literacy and content is to make a mistake.  

With all due respect: Huh?

What else _is_ there to Education other than literacy and content?

-- Eric


+----------------------------------------------------------+
| Eric Simon     | erics (at) radix(dot)net                         |
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| proud daddy to Joshua (4/18/93) and Eliana (3/12/95)     |
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