Special Section: Education Matters

Education Matters

Education Matters

Florence Melton stepped up as a footwear inventor and innovator who created a community for Jewish lifelong learners Classes begin Thursday, January 7

Lisa Richmon

After a seven-year recess, the Florence Melton School of Adult Learning is back in session.

The name Melton is associated with innovation, activism, and invention. Florence Melton disrupted the footwear industry when she founded the R.G. Barry Corporation with her late husband and adopted the first use of foam in footwear. Though her brilliant mind changed an entire industry, her primary passion was Jewish education. Melton served on committees and commissions in her local community, nationally, and internationally. Two of many prestigious awards she received were an Honorary Doctor in Philosophy from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an Honorary Doctor in Humane Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Melton remains a worldwide movement of committed learners empowered to enrich Jewish life. The school engages learners in the life-enhancing study of Jewish texts and ideas. Its accessible approach promotes open dialogue and nurtures a deepening of Jewish community. Core courses have stayed true to the Melton method, but have been revised or rewritten and are intended to offer a sense of community and new ways to look at evergreen subjects. Some Melton 2021 courses are shorter, online, and customized to meet learner’s personal preferences.

The Konikoff Center for Learning actively pursued a 2021 Melton Tidewater comeback. With instructors in place, area classes begin on Thursday, January 7. For dates, times, fees, and more information, go to https:// www.jewishva.org/KCL.

Social Justice: The Heart of Judaism in Theory and Practice Taught by Rabbi Michael Panitz Thursdays, Jan. 7–March 11

Trained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was ordained as a rabbi in 1982 and where he received a Ph.D. in Jewish history in 1989, Michael Panitz combines both specialties in his professional career. He has served as rabbi of Temple Israel in Norfolk since Rabbi Michael Panitz. 1992. Active in the field of adult Jewish education, he has taught for the Florence Melton Adult Mini School since it first opened in Tidewater. He also teaches religious studies, history, and Hebrew language at local colleges, Old Dominion University and Virginia Wesleyan University. Prior to arriving in Norfolk, Rabbi Panitz was a faculty member at the Jewish Theological Seminary and served a congregation in New Jersey. Rabbi Panitz contributes articles to scholarly journals on Jewish subjects. Married to Shelia Panitz since 1978, their larger family includes their three children, spouses, and four grandchildren, ranging in age from 15 to 1½.

“The materials brought together in our Melton Course, ‘Social Justice.... The Heart of Judaism,’ go straight to our most authoritative traditions, both ancient and recent. Looking afresh at these classics and modern classics, we see that the mandate to bring society more in line with God’s commandments that we respect and love one another is not some passing fad or fashion. It is authentic Judaism.”

From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and Their Jokes Taught by Dr. Amy K. Milligan Thursdays, Jan 7–March 18

Dr. Amy K. Milligan is the Batten Endowed Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s Studies and the director of the Institute for Jewish Studies and Amy K. Milligan. Interfaith Understanding at Old Dominion University. She is an ethnographer and folklorist whose award-winning research focuses on Jewish bodies, Jewish folklore, and small or marginalized Jewish communities.

Jews like to laugh. We laugh at awkward situations, we laugh at coincidences, and more often than not…we laugh at ourselves.

Our matriarch, Sarah, got berated a bit for her laughter–honestly though, who could blame her for bursting into laughter at the suggestion that she was to yet give birth to a child at the age of 90! Face it, it’s a funny thought!

This course explores the world of Jewish humor. It has been organized chronologically, and suggests a developmental narrative of Jewish life that lies just below the surface of the jokes Jews tell, the jokes that make us laugh. Some historical humor may strike us as quite inappropriate. And yet, like Sarah, we cannot help but laugh! Students of this course will be given the opportunity to laugh and to learn, to become connoisseurs of Jewish humor.

Dr. Amy K. Milligan is the Batten Endowed Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s Studies and the director of the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding at Old Dominion University. She is an ethnographer and folklorist whose award winning research focuses on Jewish bodies, Jewish folklore, and small or marginalized Jewish communities.

OMG, Can You Believe? Taught by Rabbi Marc Kraus Thursdays, April 22–May 27

Rabbi Marc Kraus is passionate about creating safe spaces for open, pluralistic Jewish exploration and is fascinated by those Jewish voices most often ignored. He has studied in environments as diverse as Orthodox yeshivot and co-ed pluralistic seminaries and received his undergrad in Hebrew Literature from Oxford University. He was ordained by the Ziegler School in Rabbi Marc Kraus Los Angeles and is in his eighth year serving as rabbi of Temple Emanuel at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

“I think most of us walk away from Hebrew School with this image of ‘God’ as Santa Claus in the sky,” says Rabbi Kraus. “For my part, I tend to think of Jewishness as a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ journey, especially because our tradition offers so many ways to struggle with ideas of the Divine and spirituality. That’s why I’ll be teaching ‘OMG: Can You Believe!?’ in the late Spring.”

Rabbi Kraus says that he’ll be drawing on his own struggles to teach the class: “Struggle and uncertainty continue to be part of my Jewish journey. Every time I think I might be comfortable, a new door opens and I grow some more. I’m especially passionate about this Melton course because I’ve studied in pluralistic contexts across the Jewish spectrum, and I know I want to learn from and with people who think differently from me.”

continued on page 16

Education Matters

continued from page 15

Soul Cycles: A Ride Through the Chapters of Life Taught by Miriam Brunn Ruberg Thursdays, April 22–May 27

Miriam Brunn Ruberg grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. the oldest daughter of parents who both survived the Holocaust. She earned her Bachelor Miriam Brunn Ruberg. of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which included a year of study in Israel. Brunn Ruberg then earned a Master’s degree from Brandeis University in Jewish Communal Service with a concentration in Jewish Education. She worked at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater in Jewish Education and Israel Youth Programming for nine years. She then worked as a Jewish educator for the Simon Family JCC for 15 years, retiring in June 2015. During her tenure at the JCC, Brunn Ruberg brought the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School to the Tidewater community around the year 2000. She then directed and taught in the program.

Brunn Ruberg will teach a course for six weeks in the spring called ‘Soul’s Cycles: A Ride Through the Chapters of Life.’ This course will navigate the winding roads of childhood and adult rituals and how we understand them as Jews today.

“I am very much looking forward to teaching this new Melton curriculum as Life Cycle is one of my favorite aspects of Jewish life to teach and to learn,” says Brunn Ruberg. “I feel this way because Life Cycle events touch the lives of everyone who is a part of the Jewish community.”

VOICES VALUED

“At Norfolk Academy I learned that trying new things and just going for it usually leads to amazing experiences and relationships. ” – Virginia, recent graduatee

For more information on classes or to register, go to www.jewishva.org/KCL. For additional information on The Florence Melton School of Jewish Learning, contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation, at 757-965-6107 or slautman@ujft.org.

Explore.

Register for admissions events, both in-person with COVID-19 safety protocols and virtual.

757-455-5582 norfolkacademy.org

Need-based nancial aid available.

Who’s ready to learn?

Children are naturally curious. Norfolk Academy fuels that innate re. We empower our students to inquire and enable them to experience the joy of real understanding. CHOICES

EXCITING

Education Matters

Norfolk Academy Upper School students gain boost in the college application process

Mike Connors

Norfolk Academy students annually gain admission into a wide variety of outstanding colleges and universities across the country, including Ivy League and military service institutions and Virginia’s public flagships. Two members of the Class of 2020 earned UVA’s premier Jefferson Scholarship, while another earned UNC-Chapel Hill’s prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship. Other members landed at Yale, Georgetown, Stanford, and the United States Military Academy, just to name a few.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, required College Counseling to adjust its traditional approach to the fall college visit experience. What emerged was a series of virtual gatherings that gave students the same access to colleges and college admission officers that alumni enjoyed.

During a typical fall, more than 100 colleges and universities send representatives to the Academy campus. Gathering either one-on-one or in small groups, the visits allow students to network, ask questions, and learn about institutions they might want to attend.

Amid the pandemic, though, many colleges have cut their travel. And to prioritize the safety of its entire community, Academy decided not to allow visitors to campus on school days.

Still, College Counseling wanted to keep the visits coming. For juniors they are an invaluable way to explore college options. For seniors they are a great chance to re-connect with the schools on their list, while also making an impression on some of the people who will review applications.

Virtual visits allowed college small group sessions via Zoom. The sessions included presentations from the representatives and questions from students.

The virtual visits began in early September. Participants included UVA, Virginia Tech, William and Mary, James Madison University, the United States Naval Academy, Dartmouth College, and several dozen other stellar public and private schools.

Student engagement was strong. Throughout the fall, Academy offered athletics and fine arts activities, in which hundreds of students participated. And during a ceremony in mid-November, 11 student-athletes signed their commitments to play college athletics.

Since the visits were on Zoom, even students choosing Norfolk Academy’s Distance Learning model, an enhanced program the school is offering amid the pandemic, were able to attend.

Shortly after the virtual visits wound down, College Counseling led a twoday virtual College Admission Workshop for the Class of 2022. College admission partners from William and Mary, Georgetown, the College of Wooster, Davidson College, and the University of Colorado at Boulder were among those who took part. Sessions included discussions with the guest faculty, introductions to a variety of admissions tools, and assignments that will help students prepare for their next steps in the college admission journey.

College Counseling will hold additional family meetings with juniors and their parents over the next few months. That’s on top of the one-on-one meetings that counselors have already been having, when they get to know students and help them determine their options for higher education.

During the pandemic, the college application process will continue to be atypical. Colleges are making changes that will impact college-going students for years to come.

Jennifer Scott, director of College Counseling, advised students to keep an open mind as they go through the process and to remember that students, parents, teachers, and counselors are all in this together. An evolving college admission process is not new, and while the current landscape requires creativity, flexibility, and patience, Academy is finding new ways to help students achieve success.

Students should be active participants in their own process, attending virtual admission programs for any school they might want to explore. They should also communicate openly, asking lots of questions.

“We were thrilled with the success of this year’s virtual visit program,” Scott says. “It was a wonderful way for our students to connect with colleges at a time when in-person visits are difficult. They were also a great way for our admission partners to learn about all that is going on at Academy during this, the Year of Courage.”

Jewish News Digital Edition See the paper 3 days before the cover date: JewishNewsVa.org/digital. To have the paper emailed, send your email address to news@ujft.org.

Education Matters

Student artwork from Elie Weisel Visual Arts Competition continues to inspire

Each year the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater sponsors the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition. Hundreds of student artists from Tidewater, as well as nationally, create works of art that respond to various topics and guidelines which generally include the Holocaust, social issues, moral courage, and heroes who inspire them to do what is just and fair.

To see more art, go to https://holocaustcommission. jewishva.org/home-page/ elie-wiesel/2020-ellie-wiesel-competition-visual-arts-virtual-show.

Yezi Liu, Cape Henry Collegiate School. Jenna Stone, Cape Henry Collegiate School. Yuhan Jiang, Cape Henry Collegiate School.

Overeducation among academic degree holders in Israel

Education levels have increased in Israel and around the world in recent decades. There is a common perception that this increase leads to “overeducation,” a situation in which the education level of an individual exceeds the skill-level required for the job in which the individual is employed. A new Taub Center study examines overeducation in Israel and finds that, in recent years, about 17.5% of those with academic degrees are estimated to be overeducated.

The phenomenon is most notable among young immigrants with poor Hebrew-language skills, who were educated abroad and have many years of work ahead of them, and among workers who changed their place of work after age 45. A correlation was also found between overeducation and commuting patterns: the extent of the overeducation phenomenon decreases as commuting time increases, and is significantly lower among private car owners. Given the elevated enrollment rates in higher education since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, it is possible that this phenomenon will expand further in the coming years.

The new Taub Center study looks at academic degree holders employed in occupations that do not require a degree. Such overeducation is more prevalent among people who studied humanities and the social sciences, while those who studied law, medicine, math, statistics, and computer science have a very low propensity to be classified as overeducated. The study also found that in recent years about 17.5% of workers in Israel with an academic degree are classified as overeducated.

Immigrants, language, and age

The Taub Center study reveals several factors that strongly affect the scope of overeducation—language, seniority in the workplace, and commuting.

Language skills are a key component of human capital and a critical factor for successful integration into civilian life and the labor market, and a lack of proficiency in Hebrew can be an obstacle in career development and can impair earning potential. Knowing the language is important for acquiring higher education and opportunities in the labor market and, at the same time, participating in academic studies strengthens language skills. Thus, people with Hebrew-language proficiency have a greater chance of finding a rewarding job that matches their skill set while, on the other hand, those who suffer from a language barrier may end up working in a profession that does not require an academic degree and be classified as overeducated.

Age of immigration and exposure to Hebrew language greatly affect the level of proficiency. The level of language proficiency for those who immigrated before adolescence and received most of their education in Israel is almost the same as for Jews born in Israel, while for older immigrants who received most of their education in their country of origin, language acquisition is more complex and depends on personal skills, the investment of time, and effort. As for the Arab Israeli population, nearly one-fifth of degree holders in this population studied outside of Israel, and the share of those proficient in Hebrew among them is lower than among

Several factors that strongly affect the scope of overeducation— language, seniority in the workplace, and commuting.

those Arabs who studied in Israel (93% versus 74% in 2017-2019).

In general, Hebrew proficiency is correlated with lower levels of overeducation in all population groups. Young workers (25–44) with a strong command of the Hebrew language were found to have lower rates of overeducation, with negligible differences between immigrants and native Israelis (Jews and Arabs). On the other hand, high rates of overeducation were found among immigrants who acquired their education abroad—both young and old—who immigrated after 1996.

Overeducation is more common among

Education Matters

young people at the beginning of their careers who do not yet have appropriate professional experience and, in order to avoid unemployment and its consequences, turn to occupations that do not match their education level.

Overeducation could also be related to labor market conditions and the personal circumstances of the individual. Geographical restrictions (such as a place of residence far from employment centers and a lack of mobility) and marital status may also push educated workers to work in professions that do not require an academic degree.

The data show that the rate of overeducation is higher among graduates of higher education at the beginning of their careers, but that at more advanced career stages, the match between education and profession increases with the years. In contrast, workers who change jobs after the age of 45 are more likely to be classified as overeducated as the years go by. It is very possible that the intense pace of technological change, as well as a lack of new skills and ongoing training, may cause some people to accept employment in jobs that do not match their level of education. Another factor that contributes to the phenomenon may be ageism (employment discrimination on the basis of age). .

Travel time to work

The length of time required to commute to work may explain the phenomenon of overeducation, because job seekers’ behavior is greatly affected by their spatial flexibility. A worker who is willing to relocate or who has a high tolerance level for commuting is less likely to be overeducated. The Taub Center study finds that overeducation rates decline as commuting times increase.

The relationship between commuting and overeducation is also related to worker satisfaction with commuting time, income, and place of employment. Those who are overeducated are less satisfied with their place of employment as well as their income relative to workers with education levels commensurate with their employment, but are more satisfied with commute-time. This shows that some workers choose to compromise on their place of work in exchange for shorter commute times and lower commuting costs.

Gender

In an examination by gender, overeducation is found to be more prevalent among women, by a gap of about 3 percentage points. This may be due to women’s tendency to attribute more weight to occupational characteristics that make it possible to balance work and family. For example, 61% of married women with an academic degree work within a half-hour drive of their place of residence, compared to 49% of men.

Avi Weiss, Taub Center president, says, “Higher education is important for integration into the labor market, but it is also important to adjust education levels to fit employment characteristics and the needs of the market in order to get the most out of workers and increase labor productivity. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis and the closing of the skies to air travel, many young Israelis have been enrolling in higher education. This may increase productivity and improve the occupational situation of many young Israelis, but it may also expand the phenomenon of overeducation in the coming years.”

The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel is an independent, non-partisan socioeconomic research institute.

CONNECT WITH

Many things seem uncertain. Your child’s education should not. Connect with us and learn how Norfolk Collegiate provides your child a great pre-K3 through Grade 12 education and an even better experience in a safe environment. Join us at our convenient virtual and in-person (with COVID-19 protocols) events, like our upcoming virtual open house, and see how your child will flourish as an Oak.

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

TUESDAY, JAN. 12, AT 10 A.M.

Limited seats remain for the 2021-22 school year. Get started by calling 757.480.1495, emailing admissions@norfolkcollegiate.org or scanning

US!

Accredited by Virginia Association of Independent Schools.

Call us to schedule your virtual tour! 757.424.4327

The area’s ONLY International Baccalaureate® Candidate School for primary and early years.

• Infants through Grade 5 •

Shaping great minds, caring hearts, and confident leaders for over 65 years!

strelitzinternationalacademy.org

Education Matters

Sharing Judaism at Norfolk Collegiate

Sara Steil

Marah Gordon ’22, a junior at Norfolk Collegiate, understood why her school was closed each year in observance of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, but not all of her classmates did. The pre-K through Grade 12 independent school in Norfolk creates doers, thinkers, and explorers in a warm and inclusive community. So, when Marah asked to speak to her classmates about Yom Kippur and what it means to her, the

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORFOLK COLLEGIATE Students Sarah ‘23 and Marah Gordon ‘22 host a Robotics table at the school’s annual club fair. Marah was instrumental in establishing the school’s FTC Robotics club.

school was elated to have her share with the students.

“They were generally excited about it,” she recalls about speaking to her peers about the holiday.

That spurred Marah to continue to share her religion and its observances with her classmates during assemblies. She even made hamantaschen for Purim and shared them with the upper school.

“It took hours to make all those hamantaschens, and it was pretty painstaking, but it was worth it,” Marah says. “People really, really liked them. I had tons of fun sharing Purim with my community, and I think the joy and lightheartedness I spread really embodied the spirit of Purim.”

She also attributes Collegiate for being inclusive of her need for flexibility during certain times of the year.

“Teachers are always really understanding and flexible with work and the holidays, but I think my peers and instructors deserve to know why we aren’t going to school, or why I need to move things around.”

Marah’s mother, Randi Gordon, says, “She did this on her own. She really wants the community to understand, and she really wants to be inclusive and share her religion.”

Gordon attributes it to Marah’s education, having attended Hebrew Academy of Tidewater (now Strelitz International Academy) before coming to Collegiate in middle school, and her comfort with being her true self in front of her peers at Collegiate.

“I’m very proud of her. She feels comfortable enough in who she is that she wants to share it with the Collegiate community. She feels so at home within Collegiate where she’s been nurtured and comforted,” says Gordon.

“I love Collegiate. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Marah says. “It has such a kind and caring community. It fosters an institutional culture of respect and concern for others. I’ve really thrived as a part of it.”

Outside of the classroom, Marah is a member of the National Honor Society and was instrumental in expanding the robotics activities at Collegiate as a founding member of the FTC Robotics club, which builds and brings robots to life using metal parts and coding.

“I want the challenge that robotics brings, and I value the companionship that comes with a team,” she says.

When not in school, Marah participates in Midrashah at Congregation Beth El. “This year, we’re undertaking a project to make a documentary about local Jewish history,” she says.

ARTS & MEDIA

Homeland creators are adapting Nathan Englander’s Dinner at the Center of the Earth into a TV series

Curt Schleier

(JTA) — Showtime hopes it has found its next Homeland in the form of a Nathan Englander adaptation.

The network has Homeland co-creators Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa producing Englander’s 2017 novel Dinner at the Center of the Earth into a series, Deadline reports.

The book centers on a Prisoner Z who is being held at a secret prison site in Israel’s Negev Desert. He’s an Israeli spy who betrayed his native country to atone for actions that led to the death of innocent individuals—and perhaps break the cycle of violence in the region.

Gordon and Gansa have worked together on numerous shows, including 24, and converted the hit Israeli series Prisoners of War into Homeland for American audiences. That show earned the pair two Emmys, including for best drama series.

Englander, who grew up Orthodox and usually writes on Jewish themes (he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last year that everything down to “the weather” in his books is Jewish), has published five acclaimed books. His latest, Kaddish.com, involves a haredi Orthodox man who leaves his religious community and then returns to it.

Employment Opportunity

Director of Camp and Teen Engagement

Under the direction of the Director of Jewish Innovation, this position is responsible for the management of youth and teen engagement provided by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC including, but not limited to, summer day camp, family celebrations, and teen engagement. Responsibilities include supervising camp leadership team; assisting with recruiting, hiring and training camp staff; providing leadership in developing and maintaining parent relationships and communications; collaborating with other UJFT/JCC departments to schedule and coordinate applicable joint programming. and more. Qualifications BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university; three years of management/supervisory experience in working with children, teens or directing a summer camp preferred; one year proven experience in developing Jewish content, social programming for middle school, high school and college age youth; strong knowledge of Israel, Jewish culture, heritage and traditions; proven leadership & supervisory skills with the ability to train staff; and more. Complete job descriptions at www.jewishva.org Submit cover letter, resume and salary requirements to: resumes@ujft.org Submit by mail to: United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Attention: Taftaleen T. Hunter, Director of Human Resources – Confidential 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach, 23462

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Local and Experienced…a winning combination!

NANCY EVANS Associate Broker (757) 287-5765 NancyEvans@HowardHanna.com HEATHER EVANS Property Manager (757) 287-5762 HeatherEvans@HowardHanna.com

With a combined 40 years of experience, whether you’re buying, selling or investing, we can assist you with all of your real estate needs.

HowardHanna.com

DO YOU MAKE MULTIPLE CHARITABLE GIFTS EACH YEAR?

CONSIDER OPENING A DONOR ADVISED FUND (DAF)

USE THIS TAX-SAVVY “BUNCHING” STRATEGY TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHARITABLE IMPACT AND CREATE A LEGACY. FOR A LIMITED TIME, WHEN OPENING A DAF THROUGH TIDEWATER JEWISH FOUNDATION WITH AT LEAST $7,500, AN ADDITIONAL $2,500 WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR FUND – THAT’S AN EXTRA $2,500 FOR YOU TO GIVE TO CHARITY.

For more information, contact: Naomi Limor Sedek, President & CEO nsedek@ujft.org | 757-965-6109 foundation.jewishva.org/donor-advised-funds