Leap of faith: we can effect change through education
We must teach that Judaism plays a vital role in our nation
There are moments in the year that I feel deep pride in being and being seen as a British Jew. Mitzvah Day provides a positive image of our community in local wider society and there are moments when the nation acknowledges our experience, such as the marching to the Cenotaph at the annual AJEX Parade and the significant marking of Holocaust Memorial Day.
I have always stated that Mitzvah Day is not for one day – rather we hope that it influences our behaviour throughout the year. We equally do not remember or work for peace and reconciliation simply at the Cenotaph or on HMD.
Through education, there is the belief that we can effect change. At times, when faced by the enormity of human-wrought disaster, such as the World Wars and the Holocaust of the last century, there is also the hope that humanity will change. It might do but we observe that the idea of “never again” may be a long game, not one won in a generation.
Continued Holocaust education is vital, alongside civic classes that aim to provide tools for disagreements between individuals to be non-violent, in the hope that nations may be built around this ethic.
I am minded by the words of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, who stated in 1948 that: “Where Jewish education is neglected, the whole content of Judaism is reduced to merely an awareness of antisemitism. Judaism ceases then to be a civilisation and becomes a complex.”
This is worthy of consideration for the education of our own young people and also for that of young people and adults in the wider world. We know the beauty and wonder of Judaism and the positive force for good it can be in our lives. When we are confident and positive about ourselves we are most likely to integrate personally and professionally with those around us.
At The Ark Synagogue, Holocaust learning for young people culminates in a long weekend in the Czech Republic. We visit the town where one of our Torah scrolls is from as well as Terezin deportation damp. It is powerful, poignant and memorable. We also celebrate Shabbat with the Ej Chajim Congregation we helped develop, which is overflowing with young Jewish and Jew-ish people. We remember and celebrate at the same time.
Similarly, annually we engage with approximately 2,000 local primary school children in our synagogue or at their school. While addressing their core national curriculum goals, these are value-added experiences with the celebration of life through Judaism at its core. Jews love food, making fun of ourselves and sharing joy with others.
It is more of a struggle with secondary schools but some of the private schools and the occasional state school with an enlightened teacher enable students to learn lessons from the Holocaust and that Judaism is a living, thriving and vital part of our nation.
Rabbi Aaron Goldstein is at The Ark Synagogue
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