Jewish identity and Jewish education

the Jewish identity space and its contribution to research and practice

Gabriel Horenczyk

Hagit Hacohen Wolf

pp. 183-201

in: Helena Miller, Lisa Grant, Alex Pomson (eds), International handbook of Jewish education, Berlin, Springer, 2011

Abstract

Jewish education is widely perceived as one of the major means for strengthening Jewish identity and identification. We examine this basic assumption and propose a conceptualization and mapping of the Jewish Identity Space as a tool for better understanding, exploring, and applying aspects related to the relationship between Jewish education and Jewish identity. The Jewish Identity Space defines the various aspects and manifestations of identity and behavior in terms of five levels of inclusiveness (personal, family, community, local, and global) and of three components of identity and its expressions (affective, cognitive, and behavioral). We suggest that a multifaceted and context-sensitive approach to the mapping of Jewish attitudes and behavior can provide research—and also other domains of Jewish-identity discourse—with these necessary tools. We also believe that such a conceptually diverse and pluralistic approach can help to better define the goals of Jewish education—not uniform goals for all kinds of Jewish educational interventions or programs, but rather specific, focused, and achievable objectives.