6: Text excerpt, “The Five Lives of a Jewish Day School Grad,” by Micah Lapidus, ejewishphilanthropy.com, 2012.

6: Text excerpt, “The Five Lives of a Jewish Day School Grad,” by Micah Lapidus, ejewishphilanthropy.com, 2012.

Micah Lapidus is a Reform rabbi in Atlanta, Georgia, who teaches at The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy, a Reform Jewish day school. In this article, he cites Gordon while outlining five important principles for Jewish education, and suggests that Gordon’s dictum does not apply anymore because now young Jews are expected to “engage in the broader (and often secular) society as Jews.” 

Suggested Activity: Have students read the excerpt aloud without telling them who wrote it or where it appeared. Then ask them what they can infer about the author’s politics or ideas on the basis of how he responds to Gordon. Ask them whether they agree that it is expected that Jews should act as Jews (as opposed to acting simply as citizens of their countries, or as humans) when they engage in broad issues, like American politics or social justice initiatives, and why.

Source: Micah Lapidus, “The Five Lives of a Jewish Day School Grad,” ejewishphilanthropy.com, June 10, 2012, https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/the-five-lives-of-a-jewish-day-school-grad/.