Jüdischer Religionsunterricht in Deutschland – Eine Bestandsaufnahme jüdischer Erziehung im Spannungsfeld von Religion, Säkularisierung und Verstaatlichung

Jewish religious education was introduced in state schools in the second third of the 19th century, following social shifts and later, legal changes affecting the Jewish minority in the German states. Two developments played a major role here: external demands for the “confessionalization” of Judaism and the weakening of religious ties. The reflection of these changes in teaching concepts and learning objectives before 1933 form the basis for the discussion of the current state of Jewish religious education. The article traces the historical development of Jewish religious education in Germany with a focus on the challenges of teaching Jewish religious classes in an increasingly secular world. The analysis addresses the following key questions: what should Jewish religious education aim to achieve now that the majority of Jewish pupils no longer identify with religion? Is Jewish religious education an acknowledgment of Jewish particularity or is it a reflection of the state simply reducing Judaism to a concept of religion? What does the existence of Jewish religious education tell us about the status of Jews in today’s society? More empirical educational research is needed to make Jewish religion classes compatible with the current conditions of Jewish life in Germany. It is also important that Jewish religion classes be more broadly defined as Jewish education.