1. The Morasha Program

2. The Morasha Mission
Israel’s public schools are divided into two polarized school boards that have become identified with “religious” and “secular” education.
Morasha was established in order to provide a solution for a broad and diverse public in Israeli society who wishes to give its children a Jewish values-based education, anchored in Jewish traditions.

3. The Morasha Mission
Morasha creates an educational common ground that unites religious and secular state schools by cultivating diversity in Jewish traditions and emphasizing Jewish social values.

4. Morasha’s Purpose
Morasha designs and implements a comprehensive Jewish school experience that emphasizes social responsibility, community action and a love of Israel.
Our mission is to transform Jewish school education into a meaningful and relevant experience that instills ethical values and conduct in pupils.

5. Program Goals To cultivate a comprehensive Jewish school experience
To train and empower teachers in Jewish education
– Morasha trains teaching staff to develop awareness, ability and professional self-confidence for autonomous leadership in the field.
3. To expand the common ground of values for the entire school community:
– Morasha highlights the rich diversity of identities in the school community and reinforces pupils’ affinity to their family traditions.

6. Program Goals
4. To strengthen the connection between Jewish heritage and social commitment:
Morasha promotes pupil leadership of community initiatives in the spirit of “Greatest is study that leads to action”.
5. To renew school pedagogy and enrich content to broaden pupil horizons:
- Morasha changes the nature of school discourse and learning methods from frontal teaching to dialogical Beit Midrash study, and adapts content to fit the unique nature of the pupils’ community in school.

7. Program Goals 6. To be a vision-based school:
- Morasha supports the renewal of school vision and pupil goals in the spirit of Morasha values, adapts study programs to the renewed goals and assists in their implementation.
7. To strengthen school as a Community of Solidarity:
- Morasha deepens the values of solidarity, mutual responsibility and community in school life and integrates parental leadership into the process.

8. Network Growth pupils schools year
7,870 12
2003/4
1st cycle opens
9,268 16
2005/6
4 KIAH schools join
15,826 30
2007/8
2nd cycle opens (14 schools)
16,100 32
2008/9
6 schools from the North join (RASHI)
17,219 36
2010/11
5 additional schools join
Morasha incorporates schools from both public educational systems:
18 state schools and 18 state religious schools

10. Education to Jewish social values: “Community for Solidarity”
Morasha’s 4 Educational Domains for implementation of Jewish education in schools
Beit Midrash study
Piyut & Niggun
Education to Jewish social values: “Community for Solidarity”
Hebrew calendar year 10

11. Beit Midrash study

12. Piyut Special Features: Connecting to family & community
Learning diversity through the different musical traditions of Jewish ethnic communities
Training and implementation for Piyut in schools:
Morasha’s Songs and Sources program & teacher training course
Integrating piyut into school life (ceremonies, assemblies, Hebrew calendar year study)
חזור

13. Piyut

14. The Hebrew Calendar Cycle
Special Features:
Studying texts, mores, and values associated with the Hebrew calendar
Hands-on and experiential expression of the calendar in school life
Learning diversity through the traditions of Jewish communities associated with the Hebrew calendar.
Training and implementation for the Hebrew Calendar in schools:
Peak Day school “happenings” marking events in the Hebrew calendar
Morasha’s website provides study content on the Hebrew calendar year
חזור

15. The Hebrew Calendar Cycle

16. Education to Jewish Social Values KESHER: A Community of Solidarity
Special Features:
Cultivating schools as communities based on social values: solidarity, interdependence & social responsibility.
Integrating study with social action and volunteering, at school and in the community.
Training and implementation in schools:
Study program development in Social Judaism
Teacher-training programs for program leadership
Student committee settings for program implementation
חזור

17. Education to Jewish Social Values KESHER: A Community of Solidarity

18. The Morasha Network provides:
Professional training:
School principals & Coordinators: Experiential Jewish education, National Forum
Educators & teachers: 4 Morasha Educational Domains:
Beit Midrash study, Piyut, Community for Solidarity, Hebrew Calendar Year
Teachers Room: In-house training – Teachers Beit Midrash
School Facilitation:
Overall Process Supervision: principal, coordinator, Jewish experience team,
individual teacher & educator supervision for program implementation
Supervision of Jewish Studies staff
School Vision renewal and adaptation of educational programs to school vision
In-House training for entire Teachers Room
Feedback and program evaluation

19. The Morasha Network provides:
Study program development, design and production:
The Morasha Network develops Jewish education study programs
for schools and at the national level for the Ministry of Education.
Our educational materials development unit supports schools
in developing their personalized study programs
- The Morasha website provides teachers with specialized educational resources.
Program Implementation budgets for schools and stipends granted to Morasha school program coordinators

20. Morasha Network Program Evaluation
Ongoing evaluation involves both school faculty and pupils, and examines program effects on individuals over the school year as well as over the program cycle.
Results showed significant differences in favor of schools working with Morasha and within schools between different points over the school year.
2. Researchers used Morasha program parameters to measure the intensity of changes felt by the students and teachers' perceptions of the program's contribution to the school: Jewish social values, Jewish / Israeli identity, values & attitudes toward Jewish heritage.
3. Meaningful change was found in all parameters: attitudes, behavior, knowledge, values, identity and emotions.

21. Morasha Network Program Evaluation
“…significant connections between the extent of involvement of the [school] staff in the Morasha program and attitudes… with respect to their Jewish and social identity and to the Jewish atmosphere in the school.
The feeling of personal and professional growth is prominent in the first year of the program’s operation and stronger among respondents from elementary schools and among those with leading positions in the school…consistent with the network’s activity in the first year of its entry into the schools – dealing with and focusing upon a clarification of the personal identities of the teachers.”
Teachers emphasized the contribution of Morasha to the reinforcement of their schools as learning organizations, and their empowerment as agents of change within their schools.

22. The Morasha Program