In response to Rabbi Glustein's question about applying Modern Orthodoxy in schools, to me it seems important to both do it and to talk about it. A few ways that we do it in our school:
1. Interdisciplinary projects that involve Judaic and General studies working collaboratively. We have the Tanach and History departments work together to create several projects that require students to integrate material from both disciplines. For example in 11th grade, students research issues and compare findings related to Bnot Tzelaphchad and women's suffrage. Another project focuses on comparing the process of impeachment and Moshe's punishment of not entering into Israel. The project is graded collaboratively y teachers from both departments. It's not enough to just ask students to do these sorts of projects, but we spend time explaining to students why we are doing what we're doing, why this is a facet of Modern Orthodoxy and why we think that our learning of Jewish sources should be considered when we think about general issues of importance.
2. Exposure to important Modern Orthodox thinkers and their writings. All students really should graduate with at least some degree of exposure to Rabbi Soloveitchik and his writings. Our students spend a considerable amount of time studying Lonely Man of Faith when learning Breishit. Additionally, all seniors are introduced to the Rav's Halachic Man and explore different definitions of Modern Orthodoxy.
3. Young women should learn Gemara and should understand why this is not the universally accepted practice in the Orthodox world.
4. Israel should be celebrated as a religious ideal. Students who make aliyah and serve in Tzahal should be celebrated by the school. Additionally we devote a portion of our curriculum to studying theories of Zionism and the modern State of Israel.
5. The study of Tanach is different in a Modern Orthodox school than it is in more charedi schools. It seems to me that a feature of Tanach study in MO schools should be to see midrashim as conveying important messages and filling in gaps in the text but not necessarily to be understood literally. In MO schools we sensitize students to recognize the sharp difference between pshat and drash. For example, we would not teach that Moshe Rabeinu was actually 10 amot tall.
The above list is not exhaustive, but I hope it provides some direction.
Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
Katz Yeshiva High School of South Florida
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2016 07:48AM by mlb.
