You wouldn't necessary think that familiarity with Shakespeare would be something a Talmud teacher or even a Yeshiva high school principal would need, but Amy Gelbart, chairperson of the English department of Herzog College in Alon Shvut, which is now offering a major in English literature, thinks otherwise.
“There is a big demand for male English teachers in Yeshiva high schools, and those teachers often double as ramim (Talmud teachers) and even principals,” she says.
Besides, teaching – and learning – English isn't just about English; it's about getting an understanding of the heartbeat of Western culture, and man's place in the world, as seen through the eyes of the “classics” of Shakespeare and others.
Of course, a program like this could only happen at Ya'akov Herzog College, Alon Shvut; for over 40 years, the college – affiliated with Yeshiva Har Etzion – and started at the urging of roshei yeshiva Rabbi Yehuda Amital and Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein, whose doctorate, from Harvard, is actually in English literature!. The college seeks to develop an intelligentsia for the national religious community, providing teachers and academic experts with Torah point of view.
“Creativity is an important value that we stress in all studies, especially in the English Literature major,” says program director Gelbart. “We prod students to write poems and engage in creative writing projects, conduct workshops, and hold other creative activities. Learning is about growing, and educators, especially, need to be aware of the importance of expanding their outlook and experience, because that is an attitude that will rub off on their students.”
A sampling of the kinds of material students in the program will be studying was on display at a recent symposium hosted by Dr. Gelbart at Herzog, called “Literature and Jewish Culture: Convergence and Divergence.” Speakers include Dr. Yael Ziegler of Midreshet Moriah, whose talk was titled “Megillat Ruth and the Art of Storytelling,” and Prof. William Kolbrener of Bar-Ilan University, who spoke about “Milton and Israel: The Hebrew Areopagitica.”
Also speaking were Rabbi Lichtenstein himself, and Rabbi Yuval Sherlo, whose topic was “Responsa on the Web: A new literature or a change in Halacha?” Participants in the symposium were extremely enthusiastic about the presentations – so much so, says Gelbart, that “they didn't want to go home when the evening was officially over; they just kept asking questions of the speakers, and I had to literally cut off the discussion because it was so late!”
For male yeshiva students who are interested in teaching English – a growth area, says Gelbart; Israeli schools have a hard time finding qualified teachers – the program is perfect, because “it is the only English Literature major that is gender-separate.”
And while the idea of English Literature as a career track may sound like a strange one for "avreichim" and an unlikely one to be taught in too many yeshiva high schools, where one would expect the emphasis to be on learning the basics of English, not the cultural heritage of its literature, Gelbart says that it's not strange – or unlikely – at all.
“First of all, the Education Ministry has restored the literature component to the bagrut matriculation tests, so some students may actually be tested on this material,” Gelbart says. “For that you need teachers, and we would expect any teacher to know more then their students – even in a setting where the school's curriculum is not going to delve into the likes of Shakespeare and Milton.”
In order to be an effective teacher – English, Talmud, Oral Torah (Toshba) or anything else – you need an education that allows you to understand the interconnectivity of culture, if only by way of contrast with Jewish culture, ancient or modern, says Gelbart. “For that, you need what is essentially a liberal arts education, where you learn not only facts, but learn how to understand – and teach. That's what our program is all about – creating a teacher who can lead students, and using English Literature as a springboard for that.”