J-ed Talks

Having introduced Isaac Goss and his significance to the South African Jewish education landscape, I read an excerpt from his book entitled "Reflections on Jewish Education in South Africa" (1951).  The first essay is a letter written to Goss by a frustrated, yet well-intentioned and thoughtful parent. In it, he poses some challenging questions on the topic of Jewish education. He genuinely seeks answers to these questions, solutions to these problems.  Goss, for his part, addresses the issues in a methodical and practical manner. He weaves together abstract philosophies with concrete suggestions. He sets out to describe his vision for the system but remains anchored firmly to the reality on the ground. It is an interesting piece due to the delicate manner in which he explores these four elements (educational philosophy, pedagogic recommendations, systemic vision, practical suggestions). I do not analyze this further in this episode, but I hope you enjoy it in the raw, unprocessed form.