The Women Who Reconstructed American Jewish Education, 1910–1965 hbi series on jewish women Shulamit Reinharz, General Editor Sylvia Barack Fishman, Associate Editor the hbi series on jewish women, created by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, publishes a wide range of books by and about Jewish women in diverse contexts and time periods. Of interest to scholars and the educated public, the hbi Series on Jewish Women fills major gaps in Jewish Studies and in Women and Gender Studies as well as their intersection. the hbi series on jewish women is supported by a generous gift from Dr. Laura S. Schor. For the complete list of books that are available in this series, please see www.upne.com. Carol K. Ingall, editor, The Women Who Reconstructed American Jewish Education, 1910–1965 Gaby Brimmer and Elena Poniatowska, Gaby Brimmer Harriet Hartman and Moshe Hartman, Gender and American Jews: Patterns in Work, Education, and Family in Contemporary Life Dvora E. Weisberg, Levirate Marriage and the Family in Ancient Judaism Ellen M. Umansky and Dianne Ashton, editors, Four Centuries of Jewish Women’s Spirituality: A Sourcebook Carole S. Kessner, Marie Syrkin: Values Beyond the Self Ruth Kark, Margalit Shilo, and Galit Hasan-Rokem, editors, Jewish Women in Pre-State Israel: Life History, Politics, and Culture Tova Hartman, Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism: Resistance and Accommodation Anne Lapidus Lerner, Eternally Eve: Images of Eve in the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, and Modern Jewish Poetry Margalit Shilo, Princess or Prisoner? Jewish Women in Jerusalem, 1840–1914 Marcia Falk, translator, The Song of Songs: Love Lyrics from the Bible Ma^ Phf^gPah ;9EDIJHK9J;:Å :f^kb\Zg C^pbla>]n\Zmbhg *2*)È*2/. \Zkhed'bg`Zee >]bmhk [kZg]^blngbo^klbmrik^ll pZemaZf%fZllZ\anl^mml in[ebla^][r ngbo^klbmrik^llh_g^p^g`eZg] aZgho^kZg]ehg]hg brandeis university press This project was published with Published by the generous support of the Lucius N. University Press of New England Littauer Foundation. www.upne.com © 2010 Brandeis University The author is grateful for permission to All rights reserved use material from the following sources: Manufactured in the Eric Zinner of NYU Press for material United States of America that originally appeared in Shuly Rubin Typeset in Miller and Block Schwartz’s The Rabbi’s Wife (2006). by Passumpsic Publishing Taylor and Francis for material that originally appeared in Miriam Heller University Press of New England is Stern’s “Ladies, Girls, and Mothers: a member of the Green Press Initiative. Defining Jewish Motherhood at the The paper used in this book meets Settlement House,” Journal of Jewish their minimum requirement for Education 69, no. 2 (2003): 22–34, and recycled paper. Carol K. Ingall’s “Anna G. Sherman: For permission to reproduce any of the A ‘Benderly Girl’?” Journal of Jewish material in this book, contact Permissions, Education 70, nos. 1–2 (2004): 32–39. University Press of New England, Patrick Dunn of Taylor and Francis for One Court Street, Lebanon NH 03766; allowing the reprint of Carol K. Ingall, or visit www.upne.com “Hava n’Halela: Tzipora Jochsberger and Her Vision for the Hebrew Arts School,” Library of Congress Journal of Jewish Education 71, no. 2 Cataloging-in-Publication Data (2005): 201–17. The women who reconstructed American The following archives also gave permission Jewish education, 1910–1965 / Carol K. for use of their material: American Jewish Ingall, editor. Historical Society, New York and Newton p. cm. — (hbi series on Jewish women) Centre, Mass.; Hadassah, the Women’s Includes bibliographical references and Zionist Organization of America, Inc., index. New York; Jacob Rader Marcus Center of isbn 978-1-58465-856-6 (cloth: alk. paper) the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, — isbn 978-1-58465-855-9 (pbk.: alk. paper) Ohio; Judah L. Magnes Museum, 1. Jews—Education—United States— Berkeley, Calif.; Western Reserve History—20th century. 2. Women Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio. educators—United States—History—20th century. 3. Jewish educators—United States—History—20th century. I. Ingall, Carol K. lc741.w66 2010 370.8992'4073—dc22 2009047978 5 4 3 2 1 to my granddaughter, Shirley Michaela Hoffman-Ingall Contents Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi Contributors xiii Introduction carol k. ingall 1 1 : Redefining Jewish Womanhood through Informal Education Ethel Feineman and Grace Weiner miriam heller stern 24 2 : Jessie Sampter and the Hadassah School of Zionism rebecca boim wolf 46 3 : Rebecca Aaronson Brickner Benderly Boy? shuly rubin schwartz 63 4 : Libbie L. Braverman A Woman for all Seasons alan d. bennett 75 5 : Mamie Gamoran Modeling an American Jewish Life lisa d. grant 97 6 : Sadie Rose Weilerstein through the Looking Glass K’tonton and the American Jewish Zeitgeist jonathan krasner 117 7 : “Three Cheers for Anna!” Anna G. Sherman, Adult Jewish Educator carol k. ingall 142 8 : Temima Gezari An Art Education Pioneer ofra arieli backenroth 165 9 : Hava N’halela Tzipora Jochsberger and Her Vision for the Hebrew Arts School carol k. ingall 188 10 : Sylvia C. Ettenberg A Portrait in Practical Wisdom carol k. ingall 204 Index 231 Foreword From 1881 to 1924, when millions of east European Jews were pouring into the United States, it often seemed that the primary educational challenge to immigrants and their children was learning how to be American. However, by the end of the period of mass immigration, it became apparent that if Jew- ish culture were to be transmitted, Jewish educational institutions would be needed to facilitate that transmission. Jews had to create “new institutions and new educational models.” Thus, it should come as no surprise that Carol K. Ingall dubs the period between 1910 and 1965 the golden age of American Jewish education. As she says in the acknowledgments, it was a time “when the regnant progressive pedagogy of the day . was molding the teaching of Hebrew language and classic Jewish texts.” New educational movements, ideas, and initiatives were being formulated that were essential to keeping the American Jewish population interested in sustaining Jewish life. As Carol Ingall writes in her introductory chapter, the men who were in- fluential in shaping American Jewish educational trends are often the subject of scholarly interest and popular awareness, but much less has been written about the unsung heroines in this book who “kept Hebrew and Hebrew na- tionalism alive through education, not only in the Talmud Torah schools and in the first decades of the suburban synagogue schools, but also in children’s literature, camps and youth groups, adult Jewish education for women, and cultural arts programs for all ages.” These are extraordinary achievements, and they should be acknowledged and appreciated. Moreover, in discussions of the roots of Jewish education in the United States, the following names should regularly appear: Ethel Feineman, Grace Weiner, Jessie Sampter, Re- becca Aaronson Brickner, Libbie Braverman, Mamie Gamoran, Sadie Rose Weilerstein, Anna G. Sherman, Temima Gezari, Tzipora Jochsberger, and Sylvia Ettenberg. Each of these women made a mark on an aspect of Jewish education, whether in arts, camping, textbooks, or adult education. The eight contributors to this book trace the evolution of Jewish educa- tion in America not only in terms of the dynamics of Jewish organizational life, but also in ways in which Jewish education was influenced by important education theorists. As Carol Ingall notes, these immigrants had to create their own pathways to becoming Americans while ensuring that they and their descendants would remain Jews. The formidable nature of the task fac- ing Jewish education is underscored by the fact that, despite the efforts to professionalize the field, much work remains. Even today, when asked about ix their Sunday and Hebrew school experiences, some Jews assert that they learned nothing, that it was a waste of time, that Hebrew school was merely a training ground for bar or bat mitzvah or a holding pattern for children who were not going to Jewish day schools. According to these complaints, some Jewish schools may have been responsible for departure from, rather than retention in, the Jewish community. How extraordinary, then, are the accomplishments of the women who are this book’s heroines. They battled impressive odds and often managed to transform educational practice in a difficult environment. This book will not answer the question about what went wrong, but it will describe what went right in the period from 1910 to 1965. The eleven women singled out in this book were ahead of their times. Their belief in what Jewish education might accomplish is an inspiration to those who look to Jewish education to energize contemporary Jewish life. We are pleased to have The Women who Reconstructed American Jewish Education, 1910–1965 as the latest publication in the hbi Series on Jewish Women, supported in part by Dr. Laura S. Schor. The book looks at a significant Jewish institution through the lens of gender. Ingall’s book should be read and discussed as we continue work in Jewish education. And one should remember that it is only with the advent of a women’s studies approach to history, including Jewish history, that we are able to identify these eleven heroines (and others), to understand why they made the choices they did, and to offer them the respect, even if only in hindsight, that they deserve. shulamit reinharz x Foreword Acknowledgments This book is a very personal endeavor. As a child growing up in Boston, I attended the Dorchester Mattapan Hebrew School, housed in a synagogue, but open to any Jewish child who lived in the neighborhood. The school met five days a week, four afternoons and Sundays. I attended Sabbath services as well, as did many of my classmates. I studied the Hebrew Bible and prayer book, and Hebrew literature (in Hebrew), and I learned about Jewish history, Jewish music, and how to celebrate Jewish holidays.