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Founding of First Congregation-Based Jewish Parochial School
New York's only Jewish congregation,
Shearith Israel, established a charity school
under its own auspices named Polonies Talmud Torah. -
Start of Non-Denominational Public Schools in NY
The creation of the state-supported nondenominationalpublic school spawned a revolution in American education, and affected American Jewish education profoundly. In 1825, New York cut off payments to religiously-sponsored charity schools and in the middle quarters of the 19th century a whole new world of American education took shape that totally transformed the context in which Jewish education functioned. -
Founding of the First Jewish Sunday School
Drawing upon an established network of Jewish women communal workers in Philadelphia, Rebecca Gratz presided over the establishment of the first Jewish Sunday School on February 4, 1838. Taking its cue from the Christian Sunday School movement, the Philadelphia Hebrew Sunday School Society offered a new and long-lived model of Jewish education. For more info -
Hebrew Union College Founded
Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. For more information visit this link. -
Jewish Theological Society Founded
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) was founded in 1886 through the efforts of two distinguished rabbis, Dr. Sabato Morais and Dr. H. Pereira Mendes, along with a group of prominent lay leaders from Sephardic congregations in Philadelphia and New York. Its mission was to preserve the knowledge and practice of historical Judaism. In 1887, JTS held its first class of ten students in the vestry of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue.this link. -
Samson Benderly Heads Bureau of Jewish Education of NY
Samson Benderly inaugurated the Bureau of Jewish Education in 1910, seeking to modernize Jewish education and professionalize the field by training a younger generation of teachers, principals, and bureau leaders. These young men became known collectively as the Benderly Boys and, from the 1920s to the 1970s, they were the dominant force in Jewish education in the US. For more information, visit this link. -
Hebrew College Founded
For more information about the founding of Hebrew College and its mission to train Jewish teachers visit this link. -
Shulamith Day School for Girls Founded
Shulamith School for Girls is a centrist Modern Orthodox Jewish, Middle States accredited school located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. The school was founded in 1930 by Bertha Blazer, together with Rabbi M.G. Volk in Borough Park, Brooklyn. It was the first Orthodox Jewish elementary school for girls in North America. For more information visit this link. -
YIVO Moves to NY
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was founded in Vilna, Poland, in 1925 and relocated to New York City in 1940. Our mission is to preserve, study and teach the cultural history of Jewish life throughout Eastern Europe, Germany and Russia. Our educational and public outreach programs concentrate on all aspects of this 1000-year history and its continuing influence in America. For more information visit this link. -
Brandeis University Founded
Brandeis was founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian university under the sponsorship of the American Jewish community to embody its highest ethical and cultural values and to express its gratitude to the United States through the traditional Jewish commitment to education. By being a nonsectarian university that welcomes students, teachers and staff of every nationality, religion and orientation. For more information visit this link. -
First Mention of Jewish Special Education Program
The earliest reported program of Jewish education for children with disabilities was reported in The American Journal of Mental Deficiency, which described a bar mitzvah preparation program for "retarded children." -
First Schechter Day School Founded
Solomon Schechter Day School organized in Queens, NY. United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education organized the Day School Education Committee.For more information visit this link. -
Start of the Havurah Movement
Some of the most exciting and enduring of these new initiatives emerged from within the "havurah movement." The Reconstructionist movement had appropriated this term in the early 1960s in an effort to promote the creation of small fellowship circles consisting of Jews who gathered on a regular basis for study, discussion, and prayer.For more information visit this link. -
Jews Participate in March on Washington
An estimated quarter of a million people assembled in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The event unified a multitude of races, genders and religions, capped by the iconic image of Martin Luther King Jr. visualizing his dream for equality. Many American Jews were active participants and leaders in the march.For more information visit this link. -
Residential Jewish Special Education Programs Open in NY
Residential and all-day Jewish schools for children with special needs begin to open. Some of these schools, such as HASC (http://www.hasc.net/about.php) are still open today. -
Ramah Tikvah Program Starts
Since the first Ramah Tikvah program opened in 1970, the Ramah Camping Movement has continued to be a pioneer in the inclusion of Jewish campers with disabilities. Tikvah programs now operate in all Ramah camps across North America, offering the inspirational Ramah experience to Jewish children, teens, and young adults with learning, developmental, cognitive, and social disabilities. -
Sally Priesand Ordained by HUC-JIR as First Woman Rabbi
In June 1972, when Alfred Gottschalk, president of HUC–JIR, ordained her as a rabbi, Priesand became the first woman in Judaism ever to earn seminary ordination. She found her first job at New York City’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue as assistant and then associate rabbi (1972–1979).For more information visit this link. -
CHUSH Founded
The Jewish Center for Special Education (CHUSH) was established by Rabbi Aharon Hersch Fried as the first North American Jewish school focused on the education of Hassidic and Orthodox children with learning disabilities. -
CAJE Special Needs Task Force Founded
Four years after CAJE was founded a Special Needs Task Force was started, with a focus on disseminating program information and materials appropriate for Jewish learners with special needs. -
Experiment in Congregational Education Launched
ECE strives to help congregations discover how learning can revitalize their synagogue communities through a tested and proven multi-stage process of working toward becoming both: Congregations of learners and Self-Renewing Congregations. For more information visit this link. -
Innovative Adult Learning Program - Meah - Launches
Starting with two Boston-based classes launched in 1994, Me'ah — a pluralistic program developed by Hebrew College in partnership with Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies — has grown dramatically. More than 3,500 adults have completed the program in Boston and other U.S. cities. Many graduates have chosen to pursue their Jewish learning after Me'ah. Parents in Me'ah are often inspired to intensify thFor more information visit this link. -
PEJE Founded
Jewish day schools are precious communal assets. PEJE is dedicated to positively impacting the day school field through initiatives that will help day schools tackle affordability issues, achieve financial sustainability, and implement effective advocacy campaigns. For more information visit this link. -
Foundation for Jewish Camping Founded
As the central address for nonprofit Jewish camps in North America, FJC works with camps from all streams of Jewish belief and practice to promote excellence in their management and program, and with communities to increase awareness and promote enrollment. FJC works aggressively to highlight the value and importance of the nonprofit Jewish camp experience to parents, leaders, and communities. For more information visit this link. -
Taglit-Birthright Israel Launches
Since its inception in December 1999, Taglit-Birthright Israel has sent over 350,000 Jewish young adults to Israel. They come from 64 countries, all 50 U.S. States and Canadian provinces, and from nearly 1,000 North American colleges and universities. For more information visit this link. -
Ruderman Family Foundation Started
In 2001, the Ruderman Family Foundation was officially founded with the following focus: Guided by our Jewish values, we advocate for and advance the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the Jewish community. They have since become the primary funders of multiple initiatives in the Jewish world to support and advocate for inclusivity of those with special needs in the Jewish community. (http://www.rudermanfoundation.org/) -
PJ Library Founded
PJ Library (PJ for pajamas), in partnership with local communities provides families with the gift of free, high-quality children's books, music, and other resources that foster Jewish learning and create a gateway for deeper engagement in Jewish life. Launched in 2005, the program was inspired by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a literacy program Harold Grinspoon sponsors in Springfield, MA. For more information visit this link. -
Gateways Founded
Gateways: Access to Jewish Education was formed in July 2006 by the merger of two Boston area community-based organizations. The mission of Gateways is to provide high quality special education services, expertise, and support to enable students with diverse learning needs to succeed in Jewish educational settings and participate meaningfully in Jewish life. (https://www.jgateways.org/) -
JESNA Closes
After 32 years as a leading force in the field of American Jewish Education, JESNA closes. For more information visit this link
