Abstract
Footage from the 1997 documentary “A Life Apart: Hasidism in America” (directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky), the first in-depth documentary about Hasidic Jews, members of a distinctive group within Judaism that has roots in pre-World War II Eastern Europe.
Ger school for girls.Interview with principal. (Part 4)
00:00:17 - Interview with the principal: About how each day begins for the students: prayer, charity, celebration. Learning about mitzvahs (commandments) and gratitude to parents starts young. The children learned that it is forbidden to wake up their parents except in an emergency, as per the commandment in the Torah. (On the wall: a portrait of the Gerer Rebbe.)
00:03:07 - The purpose of education for girls is to prepare them to become Jewish mothers. About accountability to God and how if one does what God wants, God will be there for them.
00:05:08 - About her role as principal. Curriculum is important but not the most important thing. The most important thing is to inculcate the students with pride and joy in what they are learning and doing. Older girls are "on the threshold" of becoming mothers but first some go to a teachers seminary.
00:07:28 - About the founder of the Bais Yakov schools: Sara Schenirer. Her motivation was Jewish continuity.
00:10:32 - About the difference between the education her school offers and a public schools education. An emphasis on morality and values from birth on. About shielding children from outside influence, such as television. Books in the library are censored.
00:13:43 - About a sense of community among the students that continues after graduation. Many go on to train to become teachers but others work in other jobs, though working outside the community is discouraged. The important role of parents and the home in the girls' education.
00:16:48 - About how the students are taught to be good, law-abiding citizens. They see themselves as Jews living in America. Comparison of boys' education and girls' education and historical differences in education of the two genders. Girls receive much more in the way of a secular education.
00:21:08 - About Yiddish as the language of instruction and important for community and identity. Hebrew is also taught. The girls emerge from school trilingual.
Ger school for girls.Interview with principal. (Part 4)
00:00:17 - Interview with the principal: About how each day begins for the students: prayer, charity, celebration. Learning about mitzvahs (commandments) and gratitude to parents starts young. The children learned that it is forbidden to wake up their parents except in an emergency, as per the commandment in the Torah. (On the wall: a portrait of the Gerer Rebbe.)
00:03:07 - The purpose of education for girls is to prepare them to become Jewish mothers. About accountability to God and how if one does what God wants, God will be there for them.
00:05:08 - About her role as principal. Curriculum is important but not the most important thing. The most important thing is to inculcate the students with pride and joy in what they are learning and doing. Older girls are "on the threshold" of becoming mothers but first some go to a teachers seminary.
00:07:28 - About the founder of the Bais Yakov schools: Sara Schenirer. Her motivation was Jewish continuity.
00:10:32 - About the difference between the education her school offers and a public schools education. An emphasis on morality and values from birth on. About shielding children from outside influence, such as television. Books in the library are censored.
00:13:43 - About a sense of community among the students that continues after graduation. Many go on to train to become teachers but others work in other jobs, though working outside the community is discouraged. The important role of parents and the home in the girls' education.
00:16:48 - About how the students are taught to be good, law-abiding citizens. They see themselves as Jews living in America. Comparison of boys' education and girls' education and historical differences in education of the two genders. Girls receive much more in the way of a secular education.
00:21:08 - About Yiddish as the language of instruction and important for community and identity. Hebrew is also taught. The girls emerge from school trilingual.
Collection
Subject
Duration
00:22:46 (HH:MM:SS)
Language:
English
Copyright Date
1997
Rights Declaration:
This recording is protected by copyright. You are free to view it but not download it. Please contact the Brooklyn College Archives for further information about how you may use this recording.
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njcore:194927
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