JEWISH FAMILY EDUCATION AND IMPLICATIONS ON CHINESE EDUCATION

【Abstract】The Jewish nation， though having experienced countless hardship， has strong risen again from a variety of setbacks. All power comes from their unique family education consisting of rich contents，such as wisdom， skill， religious， and history education.Family education is also of vital importance in all ages in China that a country surviving from various disasters. Therefore， This paper aims to study Jewish family education through its contents and features and explore the reflections on Chinese education.

【Key words】Jew； family education； substances； features

The contents and features of Jewish family education

In Jewish family， book is the source of their infinite wisdom. To make children have an unforgettable impression towards books， parents will ask them to taste the Bible on which the parents have put a drop honey. This ritual means the book is sweet， and knowledge is sweet. A tradition is that all books must be put on the head of the bed， which shows their deep respect to books.A survey of the UNESCO shows that children over the age of 14 in Israel read one book a month on average （Xiao Xian & Zhang Baokun，2005，p. 188）.

Parents always play important roles in childrens wisdom education. Before the formal school appeared， all education and religious rituals took place at home. In a family， the duty of imparting them wisdom and skills to deal with all walks of life， is shouldered by fathers.Jewish women also held a higher status in home . The employment rate of Jewish mother is far behind that of others， as Jewish mother would like to drop their career and stay at home to educate the child. People even compare a mother to one hundred teachers in school.

The Jewish people always give priority to skill education. All children wealthy or not， must master a special skill when reach their adult age.The established responsibility for a father is to teach his children an ancestral living skill.By now， business skill in Jewish family now occupies a dominating position.

When speaking of Jews， we cannot mention Judaism. Judaism serves as the mere spiritual tie linking Jewish ethnic consciousness and ethnic cohesion in the past thousands of years （Bamberger， Bernard， 1970， p. 576）.In Jewish family education， the religious quintessence are Torah and Talmud.Talmud is regarded as canon in Jewish family education， and the origin of wisdom. The knowledge in Talmud can be indispensable for every Jewish child.

The everlasting history education is the core for Jewish intense patriotism， penetrating every inch of their daily life. The Jewish festivals possess particular significance childrens education.Jewish history books command the children to think： what would they do under that circumstance. Parents will take children to visit Concentration Camp and talk with survivors so that the children can perceive the history objectively.

The implications on Chinese education

1. The implications on national level

Firstly， the nation should continue enlarging the investment in education， especially in rural areas to maximally eliminate the difference in education.Thus the requirement of excellent faculty seems urgent. Secondly， the country should strive to develop rural areass economy. If so， many parents would rather stay at home， making money and caring for their children. Thirdly， the country should strengthen childrens skill education. Entering universities is no longer a privilege for the few and many of the things college students learn are technical skills which dont require well education.Thus the vocational schools are becoming more popular in our society.Finally， weve learned that the education level and ideology of a mother， in some ways， could determine a childrens future.Therefore， to eliminate gender discrimination and improve female education level is extremely urgent.

2. The Implications on Chinese Parents

To insure a bright future of the children， the parents as childrens first teachers should do the following things. Firstly， they need to change their traditional views that children are their subsidiary.Secondly， the parents should foster childrens spirit to doubt. The most effective way to flourish our education is to develop the creativity of young generation. Thirdly， in order to transmit Chinese tradition to the children， the parents should passionately believe that the Chinese past is not an anachronism but a living reality. Finally， the parents should help their children develop a correct attitude towards learning. Learning is not a tool to gain fame or high social status， but a way to improve and sublimate ourselves.

3. The Implications on Individual

The children themselves should also do a lot of things. Firstly， the children should hold correct attitude towards books.Book learning is not just the stepping stone to success but a way to enjoy life. Secondly， they should treat the history in a more rational way. The world has become a whole， and every country is closely connected. Learning from history to strengthen ourselves is the best way to rise from the past and achieve our countrys great revival.

References：

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作者簡介：柯艷，女，陜西漢中人，陜西師范大學2014級碩士，研究方向：英語教學。