Judaics Department Implements “Jewish Infusion”—A New Third Judaics Class
This year, high school students at AJA are taking a third Judaics class known as “Jewish Infusion.” This class focuses on Jewish topics or texts that would not be taught in the established Judaics classes offered at AJA, Gemara and Chumash. According to an email sent last spring by Head of School Rabbi Avi Levitt, introducing Infusion, “These classes are exciting entries into the learning mix and should provide a real infusion of understanding and engagement with Torah and Jewish learning.”
Jewish Infusion occurs four days a week. At the beginning of the year, students chose from a list Infusion courses. These ranged from the Chidon HaTanach class, in which students prepare for the international Chidon HaTanach bible competition, to the Modern Responsa class, which researches contemporary questions in Jewish law that cannot just be answered by looking in a sefer (Jewish book).
AJA High School’s schedule has always included two main Judaic classes, the aforementioned Chumash and Gemara. These classes taught and continue to teach students important skills and facets of Jewish studies, but last year, the school administration thought that something was missing.
To complement the Jewish learning experience, AJA High School had implemented two different formats for a third Judaic class in the past. For many years, the schedule included a “Jewish Experience” block, a Jewish themed quasi-elective class similar to Infusion. This was replaced with Jewish electives offered during the regular elective period. Students were required to take four semester-long Judaic electives (out of eight high school semesters) to graduate. At the time, the high school administration saw this as a good balance of Judaic and general studies electives, but they decided this year to dedicate a full period to learning more Judaics.
Dr. Winter, High School Judaic Studies Principal, said the Judaic staff thought that “it would be wonderful if we could expand on our Jewish learning in a meaningful way.” Many Infusion classes add depth of thought and breadth of text into AJA’s world of Judaisim, such as comparative religion and philosophy guided by Kuzari and self improvement and mussar (moral conduct) guided by Mesilat Yesharim. These classes add new lenses that students did not have in previous years when they were limited to the two Judaics classes and a few Judaic elective offerings.
This class focuses on Jewish topics or texts that would not be taught in the established Judaics classes offered at AJA, Gemara and Chumash.
Students are already noticing the original nature of Jewish Infusion classes. Freshman Judah Hecht said that taking an Infusion course is “better than having to take [a third Judaic class] as an elective.” He finds Infusion “more relax[ed] than the other Judaics classes,” yet appreciates how it still feels “similar to how [a Chumash or Gemara class] would run.” He noted that the class fills a distinct role separate from the two predicating Judaics classes. “It’s definitely different.”
Rabbi Melhado, a teacher of Chumash, Gemara, and the Modern Responsa Infusion class sees the space in a similar light. To him, teaching in the environment of Jewish Infusion comes with a lot of new ground. Unlike other Judaics classes, his Infusion consists of students with varying levels of understanding of Hebrew language. Rabbi Melhado said that this was initially challenging to balance, but the diversity of his Infusion class allows him to teach “other ideas and [in other] ways” than he can in his traditional Judaic classes.
Some students are disappointed with how the switch to the Jewish Infusion system was managed. Senior Alon Rosh thought that, if implemented correctly, an additional period spent on Jewish learning could be enriching. Yet with how Jewish Infusion was introduced, he found it redundant, considering students like him who already “got the requirements last year when [Jewish electives were] required.” Alon was one of several students who fulfilled the threshold for last year’s Judaic electives requirement for graduation, but was offered nothing when the switch to the new system was made. He is now required to take a third Judaics class this year, losing out on the time he spent to fulfill what he was told was an obligation. He thinks that the classes offered are interesting but unnecessary given his fulfillment of the previous Judaic elective policy requirements.
Sophomore David Knafo feels similarly. He said that at first Infusion was a low stakes class without much work or investment, similar to an extra Judaics based elective. However, when actual classwork began to be implemented, it added unnecessary “stress.” He thinks Infusion could be implemented better. David especially emphasized the impact that the changes to the schedule (made to accommodate the extra Jewish Infusion period) had on his reception of the class. “A third [Judaics] class is too much,” David remarked, “especially with the schedule.”
Many students similarly felt the weight of the changes to the schedule caused by adding an extra class. The addition of Infusion required many logistical changes to the schedule, such as shortening both the run times of each class and the break time between periods. Dr. Winter acknowledged the problems many students have with the logistics of Jewish Infusion and said that she is “trying to balance that” with creating a more meaningful Jewish education experience. She explained that while Jewish Infusion is in an “experimental phase,” some classes may seem more shaky as the Judaics department is experiencing necessary “growing pains.”
It’s uncertain how the Jewish infusion classes will look in the long run. For now, students worry about how it impacts their workload and their schedule, while the administration is aware of these concerns and are actively trying to combat them and to create a Judaic curriculum that best fits students’ needs and includes a variety of topics. Meanwhile, Dr. Winter said that she appreciates all of the students “flexibility” as they find a place for everyone in the Jewish Infusions system.
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