Martin Buber on The Tasks of the Centre for Jewish Adult Education
Source: 1. Rundbrief der Mittelstelle fur Juedische Erwachsenenbildung (First Circular Letter or the Centre for Jewish Adult Education'), May 1934.
The concept of ΓÇ£Jewish adult educationΓÇ¥ might have been understood even a short time ago to mean ΓÇ£elements of educationΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£cultural valuesΓÇ¥ that were to be passed on to those growing up and to the grown-up - for instance, giving an idea of ΓÇ£higher educationΓÇ¥ to those who were not privileged to obtain it, or to initiate those not familiar with Jewish subjects into one general knowledge of this community. When we gave this name to our newly founded experiment we obviously meant something else. This issue is no longer equipment with knowledge, but mobilisation for existence. Persons, Jewish persons, are to be formed, persons who will not ΓÇ£hold outΓÇ¥ but will uphold some substance in life; who will have not only morale, but moral strength, and so will be able to pass on moral strength to others; persons who live in such a way that the spark will not die. Because our concern is for the spark, we work for ΓÇ£education.ΓÇ¥ What we seek to do through the educating of individuals is the building of a community that will stand firm, that will prevail, that will preserve the spark...
