The Educational Philosophies of Mordecai Kaplan and Michael Rosenak: Surprising Similarities and Illuminating Differences

Abstract

The thoughts of Mordecai Kaplan and Michael Rosenak present surprising commonalities as well as illuminating differences. Similarities include the perception that Judaism and Jewish education are in crisis, the belief that Jewish peoplehood must include commitment to meaningful content, the need for teachers to teach from a position of authenticity, and the importance of developing the inner life. The differences lie primarily in their divergent understandings of what in Judaism obligates, of the importance of reckoning with the Schwabian “milieu” when educating, of the acceptable boundaries of textual interpretation, and of the need to engage with families when educating children.

Notes

¹ For a full treatment of this area of Kaplan’s thought, see Chapter 2 of Scult (2013).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeffrey Schein

Jeffrey Schein is Director of Adolescent Initiative and Special Projects of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. E-mail: [email protected]

Eric Caplan

Eric Caplan is Associate Professor of Contemporary Judaism and Jewish Education, McGill University and Vice-President, the Mordecai M. Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood. E-mail: [email protected]