The Jewish tradition has always placed an extremely high value on education. Our great books and sages remind us constantly of the importance of learning. Judaism revolves around the idea of constant learning and educational challenges throughout one’s life.
Nevertheless, Pirkei Avot reminds us that the amount of formal education we receive matters, when it declares: “The more schooling, the more wisdom.”
I think of this every time I hear a discussion about whether schools are able to open or not, whether due to a global pandemic, wars and conflict in the Middle East, the threat of antisemitism and violence around the world, and once again teachers’ union strikes in Israel.
All of these issues are important and highly complex, but it sometimes appears over the last few years that our children’s education has been pushed further and further down our list of priorities.
All of us involved in education know how important it is, that every day counts, because while the school life of a student might seem long, it is fleeting compared with the amount of information that can be imparted and learned, and the wisdom that can be gained.
Not just schools
Schools are not just institutions of formal education, but places where our children grow and learn social norms, how to relate to the world around them, and should be bastions of stability.
While the whole world may be on lockdown, or running to safe rooms, schools are places where the child knows what to expect, where the fears or concerns about the outside world can be allayed, even if only temporarily.
That is why every single day counts, educationally, socially and structurally, in the life of a child in school.
Moreover, in Israel and among Jewish students around the world, our children are exposed to the horrors of war, hate, and violence, and so it is the responsibility of educators to create a space that both addresses the issues but also shelters them and creates positivity, fostering leadership and empowering the next generation of leaders.
This allows our children to navigate the uncertainty and fears they are bombarded with at home, online and on the streets, in a more developmentally healthy manner.
We often say that children are our future, and they will be tomorrow’s leaders, but we also have to consider the here and now, because today matters.
The importance of regular schooling
That is why I strongly believe that education should no longer be a victim of other issues, a weapon to be used for a particular agenda. It should be separate and always considered the highest priority.
Obviously, the safety and security of our children are sacrosanct, and that should be above all considerations, but just below that should be the importance of regular schooling, the stability and emotional welfare that it provides, and attaining academic excellence.
That is why it is our foundational doctrine that all Jewish children should have access to high-quality Jewish and general education regardless of their geographic location or community size.
Especially now, with antisemitism at record levels globally, many Jewish parents around the world are removing or considering removing their children from their local schools and exploring options for Jewish educational institutions.
Nevertheless, Jewish schools need to be more than just a haven from antisemitism, threats, or abuse, they should be centers of excellence, competing with the best non-Jewish schools in their countries or regions.
We want parents and prospective students to run towards Jewish schools and not run away from other schools.
Whether in the Diaspora or Israel, we should be repeating the mantra that education matters, and the quality of education matters even more.
As a collective Jewish society, we need to seriously reconsider our priorities and see the shuttering of schools, the closing of the connection between students, their teachers and peers, as an absolute last resort.
Our traditional sources teach us about the direct equation between the time spent in schools and the acquisition of wisdom.
Even, and arguably, especially, in the midst of war and threats to Jewish communities around the world, we need to see education as our response, as the most Jewish of responses to these threats and our enemies.
It is hard to think about these things with everything happening in the Jewish world today. However, this is our future and the way we win.
The writer is deputy director of the Yael Foundation, a philanthropic fund driven by the conviction that all Jewish children, irrespective of their geographic location or community size, should have access to high-quality Jewish and general education – working in 35 countries and impacting 13,000 Jewish students.