She postulated that we need to think about traditional Jewish education in new ways. We have to determine if we are trying to teach through "education" or "engagement" techniques. She explained the differences:
Education is about giving kids what we deem that they need to learn, while engagement is about how we get a child on a path to deeper Jewish attachment. Education works through collectivism and institutions while engagement works through individualism and boutique methodologies. She went on to make her point through a metaphor. Education is like a radio station in that you can choose the station you like and listen to what is provided. Engagement is like a playlist on your ipod. You build your list with the music you want and play it in the order you wish.
Amy then described the car design theory of "Surprise and Delight". When a new car model is planned it needs to have familiarity (the delight factor). And, a new car has to have that something new (surprise). Amy pointed to the number of cup holders cars now have. That was at one point a "surpirse" when it first began and served as a selling point to buy the new car. Today, it is what we expect.
One of my main takeaways from her presentation is that in Jewish education we need to "Surprise and Delight". We have to make sure that certain content is transmitted to our next generations, yet, we need to learn how to provide that content through new innovative, engaging methodologies that catch the fancy of these young generations in a very personal way. We must use both traditional education and modern day engagement techniques to inspire our youth.
I know that the community that can do that best is our Pittsburgh Jewish community.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a very happy Chanukah! Go Steelers!!!
Jeff Finkelstein, President/CEO
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