Have your say

We welcome ideas, evidence and opinions to enrich the community conversation about our Jewish education. All comments will be moderated, and disrespectful posts will not be published. The Jewish Education Foundation also reserves the right not to publish comments that identify particular schools or individuals.

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  1. Parent and educator says:

    I’m interested to hear/see conversation around Melbourne’s Israeli community. This is a unique subgroup and I believe any conversation about the future of our community needs to tackle this growing part of our community, specifically

    1. Leonie Ben-Simon says:
      The majority of Israelis in Melbourne send their children to state schools. This is because they do not have inter-generational help, and often are themselves helping elderly parents in Israel. There is an obligation to visit their families in Israel at least every two years together with their children, which is part of the family budget. The majority are either renting or buying in suburbs outside the geographical catchment area of our schools. Their children do speak Hebrew, but also have a high assimilation rate. They are eligible to send their children to Yeshiva-Beth Rivkah however both the Ashkenazi Hebrew and the expectations are a disincentive to most Israelis who now form 15% of our Melbourne population.
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      The majority of Israelis in Melbourne send their children to state schools. This is because they do not have inter-generational help, and often are themselves helping elderly parents in Israel. There is an obligation to visit their families in Israel at least every two years together with their children, which is part of the family budget. The majority are either renting or buying in suburbs outside the geographical catchment area of our schools. Their children do speak Hebrew, but also...
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    2. Site Manager says:

      Thanks for your comment. We agree we do need to hear from every sector of the community.

  2. Jo R says:
    Thrilled this conversation is taking place. My husband and I both went to Bialik for high school but a Jewish education is almost certainly out of reach financially for our own children. We would be very interested in an option that was similar to a public school in resources and education standards and facilities but also with Jewish educational content and culture, rather than only the ‘elite’ standards currently on offer.
    Our kids don’t need overseas trips and swimming pools or anything fancy but we would LOVE for them to learn Hebrew and Jewish studies, and be immersed in the Jewish community the way we were. I don’t feel confident that I can give our kids the same Jewish identity that we developed because of our Jewish high school experience, let alone the Jewish social ties we made.
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    Thrilled this conversation is taking place. My husband and I both went to Bialik for high school but a Jewish education is almost certainly out of reach financially for our own children. We would be very interested in an option that was similar to a public school in resources and education standards and facilities but also with Jewish educational content and culture, rather than only the ‘elite’ standards currently on offer. Our kids don’t need overseas trips and swimming pools...
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    1. Yaacovmyers says:
      “Good noW!”!,B”H, Interesting, see my comment, B”H, noW!, “Good noW!”!, which focusses on continuity and of course integration into he Jewish Community as well as education. Add to the a social aspect that encourages inclusion v exclusion that the current system tends to do, and is something we have failed as a community to overcome in the past. I believe this is the bigger picture that faces the Jewish Community, here and the diaspora overseas & even in Israel, as army life and nationalism fuels focus, v a Jewish life of identity and Torah.
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      “Good noW!”!,B”H, Interesting, see my comment, B”H, noW!, “Good noW!”!, which focusses on continuity and of course integration into he Jewish Community as well as education. Add to the a social aspect that encourages inclusion v exclusion that the current system tends to do, and is something we have failed as a community to overcome in the past. I believe this is the bigger picture that faces the Jewish Community, here and the diaspora overseas & even in Israel, as...
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    2. Site Manager says:

      Thanks for your positive feedback and we hope to make this a possibility for your children.

  3. naleket says:

    An important aspect that needs to be identified is to define what Jewish Education is. Each school has curriculums that emphasis their particular ideology.
    What is lacking across all Jewish schools in Australia are core minimum requirements for Jewish literacy.
    Fluency in Hebrew- Jewish History- Jewish culture- Jewish Religion.
    That should be a requirement for all Jewish schools . Otherwise a lot of money and resources are wasted if after 12 years in a Jewish school, students graduate as ignorant Jews.

  4. SG2021 says:

    I would like to thank the working committee for all the hard work that has gone in to getting this discussion going.
    A suggestion, which may have already been put forward: combining the schools into one, with all secular studies being studied together, whilst religious studies being offered via a streamed system.

    1. Site Manager says:

      Thank you that is a great idea and something we will consider going forward.

  5. DanielJenshel says:

    Great initiative by Alan and the team behind this working paper and group. I feel the goal of affordable jewish education will only eventuate when individual and organizations objectives surrounding the jewish school system are meshed with a new global community goal for the long term benefit of all stakeholders – parents, schools and donors. Hoping it is successful for my children benefit.

    1. Site Manager says:

      Thanks for your feedback – we hope so too.

  6. Lets fix this says:

    What a great initiative! The situation is currently untenable for so many parents and children. Lets fix this for the future of our community.