Pluralism in Jewish education

Bryan Conyer

pp. 267-284

in: Helena Miller, Lisa Grant, Alex Pomson (eds), International handbook of Jewish education, Berlin, Springer, 2011

Abstract

A growing number of Jewish educational institutions are choosing to incorporate the term "pluralism" into their mission and values statements. The use of this term might derive from the acknowledgement of diversity of student populations, or the active nurturing of values, such as tolerance and respect, so that students will embrace and feel comfortable amongst differences. This chapter unravels some of the ambiguous language surrounding pluralism within Jewish educational settings and summarises the existing discourse and research on pluralism in relation to Judaism and Jewish education. The chapter ultimately provides a philosophical framework to help policy-makers and educators determine what pluralism could mean within the context of their own Jewish educational organisation, as also provide a stimulus for the teaching faculty to help bridge the gap between theory and praxis.