The School of Education is now offering a new minor in Jewish education, which is available for all Syracuse University students. 

For the past 40 years, Syracuse public schools and synagogues hired SU students to teach Jewish education. The School of Education created the minor due to schools and synagogues commenting that SU students were either well-informed in Jewish studies and had little teaching skills, or they had strong teaching skills and a lesser knowledge of Jewish studies, said Corinne Smith, program coordinator at the School of Education.

“Now we are finally responding,” Smith said.

The program, she said, is designed for students who might see themselves counseling at camps or volunteering at public schools and synagogues in their future.

Smith said students could contact her if they are interested in applying for the minor immediately.

“Syracuse University students are so generous with their volunteer hours, and this program will help make these students more qualified and abled to deliver the best of services to the students,” she said.

One added course for the Jewish Education minor is EDU 395: “Fundamentals of Teaching for Non-Majors,” Smith said. The course is also available for students who aren’t in the School of Education, she said. 

“This course is meeting the needs of any student on campus who is involved in teaching or tutoring and would like to develop methods for teaching,” she said.

Brian Small, coordinator of programming at SU’s Hillel, said the new minor will create a better relationship between the Jewish community and the university. Small said he is often asked to send students to public schools and synagogues that are searching for teachers.

“I am proud to send even better trained students to perform Hebrew teaching jobs,” he said.

Half of the Hebrew teachers at SU, Small said, are made up of college students. Small added that the minor will help promote mentorship on campus through improving the skills of student-teachers, and will greatly benefit the Jewish community.

“I think it’s important for Jewish college students to see how other college students are still connected to Judaism without being forced to study it, now that they are away from home,” Small said.

Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport, who works with the Chabad in Syracuse, said he thinks the program is a great idea and will “address the skill of teaching and broaden the amount of knowledge.”

But Rapoport said there is a national issue within Hebrew schools. There are still not enough teachers who come in with a high enough level of knowledge regarding Jewish studies, he said, and knowledge for other subjects is held to a higher standard.

Zach Goldberg, president of Hillel and a junior economics and policy studies major, said he applauds the efforts being made to enhance the way Judaism is taught.

Said Goldberg: “In religions like Catholicism or others, there seems to be more focus on teaching those religions and in Judaism it doesn’t seem that is always the case.”

Published on October 30, 2013 at 1:06 am

Contact Anna: almerod@syr.edu