The Visions of Jewish Education Project was launched in 2003 following the publication of Visions of Jewish Education, edited by Seymour Fox, Israel Scheffler and Daniel Marom (Cambridge University Press). Though many visions of Jewish education exist, our unique approach is to give attention to the ideas that guide Jewish education. The goal of the VJEP is to improve the quality and impact of educational leadership in North America, Israel, and Jewish communities worldwide.

New on the VJEP Site Video Excerpts from the VJE Launch Seminar now online Introduction to the Hebrew translation of Visions of Jewish Education Daniel Marom on parents as partners in education in the Toronto Jewish News New Publications and Media lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Our claim is that exceptional leaders are driven by great ideas.  As project founder Seymour Fox said, "there is nothing so practical as a great idea." Our approach is to help educational leaders develop their ideas - often in conversation with leading Jewish studies scholars - and to consider how they can shape practice in the programs and institutions they guide, and how new ideas can be shaped by what they learn from their practice.

Attention to educational vision is, we believe, a way to address the ills of Jewish education - its lack of resources, trained personnel and status in the community - treating them as symptoms of the deeper problem that Jewish education is not based on compelling ideas about Jewish life in the 21^st century.

Educational vision does not belong exclusively to practitioners. The community must have a role in the educational undertaking. Visions of Jewish Education works with visions that bring together the talent and energy of others in the community, including scholars, policy makers, researchers, rabbis and planners.

The mandate of the Visions of Jewish Education Project is to activate this conception of educational vision as a basis for improving Jewish education. The VJEP serves Jewish education in Israel and communities around the world through seminars, collaborative initiatives, demonstration sites, an on-line resource center and publications (see our Current Initiatives and Programs page for more details).

The VJEP is based at the Mandel Foundation in Jerusalem. It is directed by Dr. Daniel Marom, senior researcher at the Mandel Foundation and staff member of the Mandel Leadership Institute. Staff includes Prof. Barry Holtz in North America and Yael Bar-Lev, Ayelet Gershoni, Rachela Levanon, Chava Sagiv, Rabbi Jeffrey Saks, and Dafna Yizrael in Israel.

Contact Us