Prefer Jewish News on Google
Germany introduces first Jewish religious education textbooks since Holocaust
Eight-volume series will put Jewish studies on ‘equal footing’ with Christian subjects and end reliance on patchwork teaching materials
German schools are to receive dedicated Jewish religious education textbooks as part of the curriculum for the first time since the Holocaust.
The eight-volume Da’at Hadorot, or Knowledge of the Generations, series will teach pupils aged around 10 to 16 about subjects including the Torah, Tanach, prayer, Jewish ethics, halachah, festivals, the Jewish life cycle and Jewish history.
Its first volume, focusing on the Torah, is expected to enter classrooms during the new school year.
The books have been developed by the Central Council of Jews in Germany with the educational publisher Ernst Klett Verlag and are intended for Jewish religious education in both Jewish and ordinary state schools across Germany.
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the project meant Jewish religious education was now “on equal footing with Christian religious subjects”.
The series has been written specifically around Germany’s existing curriculum, meaning schools will not have to change what they teach in order to use the books.
Until now, teachers have had to rely on a mixture of available resources, including translated primary-school worksheets, an ethics book for older pupils and materials they produced themselves.
The new series will instead provide a structured set of textbooks for pupils in Years 5 to 10, alongside teaching materials and training.
The books will also include interactive exercises, from picture puzzles and a dice game following the life of Moses to QR codes allowing pupils to test their knowledge of religious vocabulary.
Hebrew terminology will feature throughout, alongside translations and transliterations so children without knowledge of Hebrew can also use the books.
The material is designed for pupils from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds, as well as non-Jewish children studying Jewish religious education.
Maximilian Schulyok, managing director of Ernst Klett, said: “This collaboration combines the professional and religious expertise of the Central Council with our didactic and publishing experience.
“The momentum created also enriches the further development of our educational media.”
Jewish religious education was well established in Germany before the Nazis came to power, with Jewish pupils receiving formal instruction and dedicated Jewish schools operating in major cities.
Jewish children were excluded from German schools by the Nazis in 1938, before Jewish schools were closed and their education prohibited altogether in 1942.
Jewish education had to be rebuilt after the Holocaust, but teachers have lacked the kind of modern, curriculum-based textbook series long available for Christian religious education.
Seven further Da’at Hadorot volumes are planned, with the aim of publishing one each year.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
