Jumping into the Currents: The Art of Informal Jewish Education

Joseph Reimer, Director of the Institute for Informal Jewish Education at Brandeis University and Professor at the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University, argues that formal Jewish education does not make a lasting impression, and that a firm Jewish identity is formed by voluntary experiences, or informal Jewish education. Informal Jewish education is important because it is chosen, rather than prescribed, and as such, leaves powerful lasting impressions. Reimer emphasizes that informal educators are “artful designers of other people’s experiences.” In order to create lasting impressions, informal educators must be fully equipped to help others record the significance of what they are learning. Brandeis University is in the process of cultivating the “art” of informal Jewish education.

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