CALL FOR PAPERS

Jewish Educational Leadership invites proposals for its upcoming fall 2025 issue focusing on

As Jewish educators, we often encounter texts, topics, events that may be uncomfortable, challenging to modern sensibilities, of questionable appropriateness for certain age groups, or problematic within the context of the specific community in which we teach. Many teachers have had to grapple with the question of how to approach these texts, topics, or events, which can be found in Tanakh, in the Mishna and Talmud, in medieval works, in historical sources, in contemporary news stories, and more. How should we address these issues? Should we skip or gloss over them, engage in some form of apologetics, explain that they made sense in their context but that the world has changed, or double down on those ideas as representing a value system higher than our own? We welcome articles that will address questions such as:

• Under what circumstances are different approaches acceptable?
• To what extent should a teacher share their own discomfort with a particular text, topic, or event?
• How do we encourage reverence for our texts while maintaining a commitment to authenticity and truth?
• How do we adapt our approach to the different age and developmental levels of our students?
• How do we train and support our teachers in exploring difficult texts, topics, and events?
• What are the opportunities presented by difficult texts, topics, and events?
• What can we learn from the many attempts throughout the ages to grapple with these types of challenges?
• How do we deal with the diversity within our student bodies, who themselves are often divided by these questions?

Proposals should be 100-200 words and briefly share the focus of the proposed article and the key points the article will present. Please send proposals or queries to the Editor-in-Chief by March 23, 2025.