Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?
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Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

October 23, 2018 11:26AM
Rabbi Simkovich raises questions that Yeshiva Day Schools grapple with daily. Far from hiding our heads and ignoring issues regarding the conflicts present in Orthodox Judaism and our students’ lives, we are on the front lines of those discussions every day. No matter the subject, our students are constantly grappling with these issues. They come up when they are cut from the basketball team, when their parents are going through a divorce, when a parent is dying from cancer. These issues are raised in discussions about Camus, Voltaire, and Bronte. In fact, Jewish identity rests just below the surface of virtually every class discussion.

Having our students openly and honestly address their own religious struggles as well as the flaws and foibles of the community at large is the right way to engender deeper connections to the community and a more sophisticated understanding of what it means to be a religious Jew. And no doubt, English class is one of the best mediums to have those conversations in high school. However, a book that directly describes the decision of a community member to reject the norms of the community is too heavy handed for kids who are trained in subtext. Students see this type of literature selection as a sort of kiruv tactic. Conversations that organically rise from classic literature and analytical discussions have far greater impact than overt texts with a philosophic agenda.

While Tova Mirvis is certainly a talented writer, we wouldn't put her toward the top of the list of writing that our students need to be exposed to. Sacrificing the integrity of the curriculum for the possibility that her book would prompt healthy introspection seems a bit much when we already do that with great literature.

Respectfully,
Jonathan Kroll KYHS Head of School
Adina Ciment KYHS English Department Chair



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2018 11:27AM by mlb.
Subject Author Posted

Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Moshe Simkovich October 17, 2018 06:18PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Yaakov Bieler October 17, 2018 06:44PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Elisha Paul October 17, 2018 06:57PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Pesach Sommer October 18, 2018 03:14PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Meshulam Gotlieb October 20, 2018 07:58PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Jonathan Kroll October 23, 2018 11:26AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Yosef Goldberg October 23, 2018 11:39AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Russell Jay Hendel October 30, 2018 08:03AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Michael Berkowitz November 06, 2018 01:54PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Yitzchak Blau November 13, 2018 08:53AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Michael Berkowitz November 25, 2018 07:45PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Yitzchak Blau December 05, 2018 08:05AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Michael Berkowitz December 09, 2018 06:19PM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Rose Landowne November 06, 2018 07:52AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Gideon Sylvester November 12, 2018 09:22AM

Re: Should Tova Mirvis’ memoir of leaving Orthodoxy be taught in yeshiva high schools?

Moshe Simkovich December 09, 2018 06:23PM



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