Posts Tagged ‘pittsburgh’

Mentor support equals teacher retention in Pittsburgh

Published July 15th, 2011 in The Jewish Chronicle

A good teacher is hard to find, and maybe harder to keep.

As the nation’s economy continues to sag, local Jewish day schools are fighting to retain their teachers through professional support, even working with outside sources.

“We fight [to retain teachers] on a regular basis. We often have to,” said Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, dean of Yeshiva Schools in Pittsburgh. “We’ll often have teachers with us for several years, then move on to where they can get a better salary.”

According to the National Education Association, the average starting teacher salary in Pennsylvania is $38,229, with an overall average of $57,237.

That salary scale makes it that much more challenging to retain quality teachers in Jewish day schools.

“When teachers in Jewish schools have a family to support, that’s the moment when the money comes in,” said Amanda Pogany, associate director of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel. “Teachers often still feel committed to the field; they just seek another position in Jewish education.” Continue reading

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »

Group seeking ‘exceptional people’ searches for new Jews

Published November 23rd, 2010 in The Jewish Chronicle

3GOF_mentally_challenged This Thanksgiving, Eileen was thankful for having a job.“Not everyone can have a job,” said Rabbi Eli Seidman.

He’s right — and it’s not because of the economy.

Eileen is a resident at Allegheny Valley School, a residential therapy program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There, she said she feels lucky to be a laundry folder. Some residents are too profoundly retarded to function in an occupational setting.

The perpetually smiling Eileen is also Jewish, and as such, Seidman and his volunteers with the Western Pennsylvania Auxiliary for Exceptional People visited, like they do every month, to bring a bit of Judaism to her otherwise secular life. The group has operated for decades now, but the Thanksgiving visit reached just about two dozen Jewish residents in four different area facilities. Continue reading

Tags: , ,
No Comments »

People of the (Mac) Book: Online Jewish education takes the Torah to the Web

Published August 30th, 2010 in The Jewish Chronicle

8CFZ_online_jews

For thousands of years, Jewish education has involved several distinct objects: texts such the Torah and Talmud, a table, some chairs, debate, discussion and several people.

Recently, you can add a computer to that list.

Largely this century, Jewish online education has swept through the world of Jewish learning, creating a new, changing landscape in which Jews are studying and talking — or typing, as it were — often from their own homes, which begs the question: without a physical community of learners, how Jewish is online Jewish education?

That answer, according to Jewish education professionals, is not a black and white one, as many websites offer virtual classrooms allowing students to talk through video and web-chatting technology.

Gratz College offers Internet classes under the banner Gratz Online. Hebrew University of Jerusalem offers similar online courses; it seems universities not offering some online options are now in the minority. The growing trend now is Jewish learning not tied to any physical institution. Continue reading

Tags: , , , , , ,
No Comments »

Bishop Zubik honored by Pittsburgh Synagogue

Published June 17th, 2010 in The Jewish Chronicle

What’s in a name? For Rodef Shalom Congregation, the answer is quite a lot — especially come June 27. That night, the Shadyside congregation will give Bishop David Zubik, of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the first ever Pursuer of Peace award, named after the translation of Rodef Shalom. It’s an honor that’s a full year in the making.

As its annual major fundraiser, Rodef Shalom long recognized a deserving congregant with a dinner. “The time was right,” for a change, said Rabbi Aaron Bisno. “I had been speaking with our leadership about creating an award we could provide to somebody in the wider community beyond the finite membership of Rodef Shalom, using the congregation’s profile to recognize good works in the community.”

The June 27 event will feature a dinner, followed by an address given by Bishop Zubik. A portion of the night’s proceeds will be split between the diocese and synagogue and donated to immigrant and refugee aid organizations chosen by each group. Michelle Bisno, the Pursuer of Peace tribute chair, said she expects 300 people for the meal, but that Rodef Shalom’s 1200-seat congregation will fill to capacity for Zubik’s address. Continue reading

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »