Season 3, Episode 7
In the concluding episode of our five-episode series in partnership with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University and of our third season, we investigate the ways in which students respond to Jewish sacred texts. Throughout the episode, we present readings from the Torah and accompanying responses from students.
Dr. Ziva Hassenfeld, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Assistant Professor of Jewish Education, discusses her work in studying how children develop interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, sharing about both the tensions and the opportunities that exist within learning environments.
Read the transcript for "Studying Sacred Texts."
THE TEAM
Hosted by Aaron Henne
Scholarship provided by Ziva Hassenfeld, PhD
Edited by Gregory Scharpen
Story editing by Aaron Henne with Julie A. Lockhart
Featuring the voices of Rachel Leah Cohen, Adam Lebowitz-Lockard, Julie A. Lockhart, Clay Steakley, and Inger Tudor
Theme music composed by Michael Skloff and produced by Sam K.S.
Transcription by Dylan Southard
"Studying Sacred Texts" Learning Resources
Learn more about:
"Studying Sacred Texts as a Pathway to Positive Youth Development: Middle School Students Read Hebrew Bible" by Ziva Hassenfeld
"Kids Reading Tanakh: The Child as Interpreter" by Ziva Hassenfeld
Referenced in the episode:
Watch with captions on YouTube:
ABOUT OUR EPISODE PARTNER
One of the largest and most diverse departments of its kind, the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University (NEJS) is dedicated to the critical investigation of the history, literature, and religion of Jews and Judaism, as well as adjacent cultures in the ancient and modern world (the ancient Near East, Christianity, Islam and modern Israel).