Dan Mendelsohn Aviv: Judaism Unbound Episode 193 - Overhauling Jewish Education
Dan Mendelsohn Aviv, the head of curriculum and design for Adraba (an innovative new educational institution in Toronto), returns to Judaism Unbound to speak with Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg about ways in which Jewish education could be radically re-envisioned. [1] This conversation is the 7th in an ongoing unit of Judaism Unbound episodes on the theme of Jewish education.
(0:01 - 13:50): To begin the conversation, Mendelsohn Aviv speaks about the ways in which digital technology is moving from the margins of education toward the center. He provides an introduction to the idea of blended learning, [3] and explores the ways that it can lend itself to increased personalization and customization for individual students. [4] He also explores the ways in which he has taken the concept of blended learning and mobilized it toward the creation of a new Jewish high school, called Adraba. [5] Providing further detail, he lays out some of the logistics of Adraba’s classes, whereby they are filmed at a “mother-ship” in Toronto and streamed live to a satellite location about an hour’s-drive away.
(13:51 - 31:22): Mendelsohn Aviv continues by exploring the Talmudic origins of the term Adraba, which his institution chose to be its name. He looks at all of the ways in which the world has transformed over the last 150 years, and questions why our educational institutions have transformed comparatively little. To expand on why drastic changes may be necessary, he looks at the industrial models that informed many early schools, honing in on how they resemble those of prisons! Mendelsohn Aviv draws an analogy to the introduction of the printing press, and its impact on the profession of scribes, as a way of better understanding the resistance that many have to the internet in today’s world. He, along with Lex, explore the framework of “Jewish literacy” together, [6] and Dan (Libenson) asks what educational needs other institutions may have a hard time meeting, which Adraba will be able to meet more effectively.
(31:23 - 49:00): Mendelsohn Aviv examines the legitimate anxieties that some people have when it comes to technology in the classroom, while simultaneously calling for a deep look at how people can seek to transcend those concerns. In doing so, he emphasizes that he does still utilize more traditional forms of technology in addition to 21st century modalities. Shifting gears, he and the two co-hosts take a look at B Mitzvah, [7] in particular highlighting a few ways that common forms of the life-cycle event could change for the better. Dan (Libenson) provides a closing thought, about how B Mitzvah could be a moment for young Jews to take on — for the first time — a more unbound vision of Judaism that they will carry with them into the future. [8] Mendelsohn Aviv closes by naming that there are some real risks involved in trying out new forms of Jewish education and meaning-making, but adds that they are risks worth taking.
[1] Learn more about Adraba by visiting Adraba.ca. Listen in to Mendelsohn Aviv’s previous appearances on Judaism Unbound by clicking either of the following: Episode 9: Deuteronomy - Dan Mendelsohn Aviv, Bonus Episode: TanakhCast on The Secret Book of Kings
[2] Check out Mendelsohn Aviv’s podcast, called TanakhCast, by clicking here. Purchase his first book, End of the Jews: Radical Breaks, Remakes, and What Comes Next by clicking here.
[3} Learn more about what blended learning is (and isn’t) by clicking here.
[4] Mendelsohn Aviv notes the impact of Youtube on 21st century life, especially for current students (of many ages). For more on the role of Youtube, and how it can inform Jewish life today, see Episode 63: JewTube - Oona King.
[5] For an article looking at Adraba in greater depth, see “Jewish High School, Reimagined,” featured in the Hamilton Jewish News.
[6] To think more about the framework of “Jewish literacy,” see Episode 187: Child-Centered Jewish Education - Rebecca Milder.
[7] Dive deeper into Dan Mendelsohn Aviv’s thinking about B Mitzvah by purchasing his book Bar Mitzvah-Palooza: Why the Jewish Rite of Passage Needs an Overhaul. And hear from another thinker on that subject by listening to Episode 85: B-Mitzvah Revolutions - Isa Aron.
[8] Mendelsohn Aviv, in talking about the practice of wearing a tallit (prayer shawl), hints at a group called the Karaites, who incorporate a blue thread into their tallitot. Learn more about the Karaites by checking out the blog A Blue Thread (the name ties to this very practice!), authored by Shawn Lichaa, himself a Karaite Jew.