Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

Ethical Behavior
“Justice, justice shall you pursue.”
(Deuteronomy 16:20)
Judaism is meaningful only if it affects the way we live our lives. Our tradition teaches
that study is meaningful only if it leads to action. Judaism must have a strong voice when
we make daily decisions. The Conservative movement has a long and honorable history
of concern about social justice for both Jews and non-Jews. The image of an ideal
Conservative Jew is someone who uses learned Jewish values to guide behavior. Our
movement’s teachings should affect the way we live our lives, for if Judaism does not
shape our daily decisions and lifestyle, then it is meaningless. Dr. Abraham Joshua
Heschel is a passionate example of this ideal. Dr. Heschel, a brilliant theologian and
vitally important member of the Jewish Theological Seminary from 1946 to the early 70s,
was an outspoken political activist, becoming the major Jewish spokesman on the liberal
side of a wide range of social and political issues. He joined the march from Selma to
Montgomery, walking part of the way arm in arm with Martin Luther King, Jr.
This emphasis on social justice and ethical behavior is reflected in the daily life of the
early childhood classroom. Mitzvot (commandments) and middot (Jewish virtues) are
necessary steps on the path to being a mensch (a good person). Our task is to
acknowledge and label Jewish values, behaviors, and mitzvot in the daily life of the
classroom. By infusing the job chart with Jewish values, modeling mitzvot, creating
opportunities to be shutafo shel ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu b’ma-asay bereshit (partners with
God in the creation of a more perfect world) and labeling Jewish behaviors as they occur
in the natural life of the classroom, we create a meaningful Judaism. The teachings of
Judaism and the Conservative movement affect the way we live our lives.
Our schools are filled with families who come from the entire spectrum of the Jewish
world and beyond. Every child’s home experience will be different; very few of the
children will have home practices that closely match the school community’s practice.
An aspect of ethical behavior and social justice is the validation of every child’s
experience. The school and the classroom form a community, guided by the traditions of
the synagogue and garnished with rituals specific to each classroom. We all act in certain
ways in order to be a part of this community. At school we are a Jewish community and
therefore there are certain things that are observed, celebrated, and discussed at length in
school. Still, many families practice and celebrate differently, and those practices and
behaviors are appropriate in the specific family setting. We acknowledge and validate
each child’s individual experience while maintaining the school-specific culture in the
classrooms.
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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