Jewish Education and the "Gift of Thinking", Season 2, Episode 13

For decades Dr. Barry Chazan has sought to answer a humble question, what is it about informal Jewish education, like camp and travel, that is so powerful? David Bryfman reflects with Dr. Chazan, founding international director of education at Taglit-Birthright Israel, about his quest to understand informal Jewish education, and his new book, Principles and Pedagogies in Jewish Education. The book summarizes insights and unanswered questions from Dr. Chazan’s career. He reads aloud his charge for 21st century educators, a reminder of the impact educators can have on students, like the one Dr. Chazan had on his student, David Bryfman. 

Additional Resources:

Principles and Pedagogies in Jewish Education Free Kindle

The Philosophy of Informal Jewish Education by Dr. Barry Chazan — 2003

The Subject Of Israel Education Is Not Israel

A response to Barry Chazan: the philosophy of informal Jewish education by Dr. Joe Reimer

Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education is a production of The Jewish Education Project. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. 

This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.  If you enjoyed the show please leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released.

To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit  jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.