Jewish tradition has always honored the role of the teacher. The teacher is considered as a parent, as one who gave life to the child. The words "parent" and "teacher" are often used interchangeably, because the transmission of Jewish learning is at the heart of Jewish living and continuity. Travelers were advised not to live in a town that did not have ashcan. Education was the responsibility of the entire community and was valued by everyone in that community. Today, we must seek out teachers for our children and teachers for ourselves. Today, teachers face challenges that never existed before. Today, schools must create communities of learners; communities of adults who believe in lifelong learning and communities of families who want to learn to support their Jewish identities. Teachers must build new partnerships with the home and the synagogue, it the Jewish future is to be assured. Jewish educators can build the bridges between home, synagogue, and school, to meet the challenges of our day.

History

In 1875, Hebrew Union College was launched as the first permanent Jewish institution of higher learning in America. In 1950, HUC merged with the Jewish Institute of Religion, created by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise. Today, HUC-JIR has four vibrant centers of leaning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, offering academic and professional training for rabbis, cantors, educators, communal service professionals, and scholars. Graduates of HUC-JIR serve as leaders in congregational, school, community, organizational, military, and university settings throughout the world.

The School of Education is launching a new, comprehensive, and exciting program of study, providing a thorough grounding in Jewish studies, Hebrew, and the theory and practice of Jewish education through a mixture of formal classroom learning and supervised, experiential learning. Situated in New York City, the preeminent laboratory for learning, surrounded by the resources of major academic institutions, museums, libraries, and cultural centers, the New York School of Education has unique opportunities for internships, job placements, and involvement with inspired practitioners.

This program, created with an eye on the future of Jewish education, strives to meet the expectations of Jewish educational communities in the New York area and around the country. Through the development of an emerging generation of innovative Jewish educators, clinically trained to work with families and adults in both formal and informal settings, the new directions of the New York School of Education will begin to transform the Jewish educational system.