Official textbooks on Judaism will be introduced into German schools as part of the country’s curriculum, in a new initiative aimed at both Jewish and non-Jewish students.
The first volume in the new “Knowledge of the Generations” textbook series, designed for students aged 10 to 16, is expected to enter classrooms in the coming school year and will focus on the Torah. Seven additional volumes are planned, covering the Hebrew Bible, prayer, Jewish ethics, Jewish law, holidays and Jewish history.
'Knowledge of the Generations' textbook
The series was developed through a partnership between the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Ernst Klett publishing house. It is intended for use in both Jewish and non-Jewish schools and aims to address a longstanding shortage of structured teaching materials on Judaism that are aligned with the official curriculum.
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the initiative places Jewish religious education on equal footing with Christian religious studies in German schools for the first time. “This collaboration combines the professional and religious expertise of the Central Council with our didactic and publishing experience,” said Maximilian Schulyok, managing director of Ernst Klett. “The momentum created also enriches the further development of our educational media.”
The textbooks are designed for a broad range of students and include interactive features such as QR codes, as well as Hebrew terms accompanied by translations and transliterations.
Organized Jewish education existed in Germany before the Nazis came to power in the 1930s, but was destroyed during the Holocaust. Jewish schooling and religious education were gradually reestablished after World War II.
The new series is intended to strengthen that educational infrastructure while also making Jewish religion, history and traditions more accessible to students outside the Jewish community.