Educating in the Divine Image
Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools
9781611684582
9781611684599
Distributed for Brandeis University Press
Educating in the Divine Image
Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools
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.
368 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2013
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