Does Jewish education make a difference? : Jewish identity of pupils at Carmel College, Durban.
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Date
1992
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Abstract
The trend towards assimilation which has characterised the Jewish People has
highlighted the importance of Jewish education as one of the primary means of
dealing with this process which foreshadows the disappearance of the Jewish
People as a distinct national and religious entity. The overt purpose of the
syllabus of the Jewish Day School movement in South Africa is to inculcate a
Jewish identity based on a traditional religious orientation and Jewish
national pride expressed by a commitment to the Jewish People and to the State
of Israel. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the school
in fulfilling these aims.
A questionnaire study was conducted at the Jewish Day School in Durban, Carmel
College in May 1990. Eight dimensions of Jewish Identity were defined and
multiple regression analysis was used to test whether they were statistically
associated with each other. Two additional tools were used: an open-ended
question designed to elicit from whom the pupils demarcate themselves when
they define themselves as Jews and a delineation of the attributes of a “good Jew”.
In 1991 an additional questionnaire on the family background and its relation to the specifically Jewish dimensions was administered to a sample of Carmel pupils.
The findings revealed that the pupils manifested a strong Jewish identity expressed in the importance they attributed to Mitzvot, and Jewish credo in the desire that their children be Jews, in the instinct to associate with other Jews. Moreover, the results suggest that their sense of commitment to the welfare of other Jews does not preclude a concern for non-Jewish society as well.
The pupils stressed the importance of being proud to be Jewish and being
knowledgeable about Judaism. These findings were true of all categories
examined: gender, denomination, standard at school and years of study at
Carmel College. The study indicated that Jewish education had a positive
impact on identity, but the magnitude of the impact was mediated by family
background.
No marked differences were found in the intensity of Jewish identity between
Caramel pupils and the Jewish pupils attending government schools, although
the latter tended to manifest a lesser commitment to the Jewish People and the
State of Israel.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1992.
Keywords
Carmel College., Theses--Religion., Jews--Identity--Study and teaching., Jewish religious education of children., Jewish day schools.