Abby Eisenberg: Judaism Unbound Episode 199 - Learning Judaism


Abby Eisenberg, an independent Jewish educator and life cycle officiant, joins Dan and Lex in a conversation that asks what it would mean to conceptualize our Jewish practices as “Learning Judaism,” through which the continual engagement with Jewish texts would be centered above any particular relationship to Jewish law or belief. [1]

(0:01 - 18:44): To begin the episode, Eisenberg looks back at her upbringing in an Orthodox home and school. She reflects on her process of putting Orthodox observance aside in college, which dovetailed with her exploration of Jewish texts in their historical context(s). She also describes her early experiences as an independent tutor, outside of any Jewish institutions. In doing so, she speaks about the importance of individualizing her teaching to every single student, providing a few examples of what that looks like — for both children and adults. [2]

(18:45 - 31:21): Eisenberg, in exploring the idea of being a Jewish "generalist," proposes a vision for "Learning Judaism," a form of Jewish practice that involves consistently learning and growing — differently at different times in our lives — through engagement with Jewish text and ideas. She distinguishes between the idea of teacher as instructor versus the idea of teacher as learning facilitator, and she compares and contrasts her experiences educating children with her experiences educating adults. Eisenberg also considers ways in which learners of all ages can often feel that they don’t “know enough” about Judaism. [3] [4] She draws on a teaching from Deuteronomy to argue that, even if you think you don’t know so much about Judaism, knowledge is absolutely attainable.

(31:22 - 45:23): Continuing on this thread, Eisenberg argues that Jews really do feel connected to Judaism — including elements of Judaism that they think of as “religion” — even as only a small minority express a connection to the framework of Jewish law. [5] She asks whether that could be an indication that Jewish education should be geared towards crafting Jewish learning that meets individual interests of students, as opposed to emphasizing mostly those teachings and practices that trace themselves to traditional Jewish legal approaches. To close the episode, Eisenberg provides a few reasons why individualized forms of learning and teaching are worth all the extra effort that they require, and passionately argues on behalf of Jewish education that permit students to transcend their “3rd-grade Judaism(s).”

[1] Learn more about Abby Eisenberg and her work as an educator and life cycle officiant by visiting ExploreJewish.com.

[2] Eisenberg mentions a conference hosted by Rebecca Milder. Listen into Milder’s guest appearance on Judaism Unbound here: Episode 187: Child-Centered Jewish Education - Rebecca Milder.

[3] Here, Dan mentions a piece by Malka Fleischmann, which cites Benay Lappe as an educator who is unafraid to learn, herself, even as she holds the role of teacher for others. Read that piece by clicking here.

[4] Dan wrestles with the ways in which we (Judaism Unbound) are ourselves part of the realm of “Jewish education.” While we aren’t always entirely sure whether we fit more precisely into that field, or perhaps an overlapping field like “Jewish engagement,” but one publication that saw us as part of the former category is “The Future of Jewish Learning Is Here: How Digital Media Are Reshaping Jewish Education,” from the Jim Joseph Foundation. You can access it by clicking here.

[5] Eisenberg cites the 2013 Pew Study of Jewish Americans here. Listen in to Episodes 140-150 of Judaism Unbound for a 10-episode series on that study. In particular, we recommend Episode 145: Studying Jews Differently - Tobin Belzer and/or Episode 150: “Jews” of “No” “Religion.”

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Benay Lappe: Judaism Unbound Episode 200 - Educating Ourselves

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Darren Kleinberg: Judaism Unbound Episode 198 - Jews are People