The power of education

How Judaism plays a role

By Dr. Steven Mandel

One of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is access to education.

Quality education builds healthy communities, and reduces inequalities, regardless of background or ethnicity.

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has a right to education.” Education should be accessible to all based on merit, be free and compulsory. Parents should have the right to choose the kind of education they want for their children.

So how does this relate to Judaism and Jewish values?

1. Jewish values are sacred, and there is a moral and ethical responsibility to teach your children
2. Lifelong learning is a form of critical-thinking, and a form of worship
3. Education is needed for for Tzedek (justice), Chesed (kindness ) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world)
4. The memory of history is the passing down of tradition and identity.

FJMC International teaches us that education leads to action. As teachers and learners, we strengthen relationships and work side-by-side for a common goal, turning individuals into a connected supportive community.

As of 2023, 272 million children around the world are not in school, and it’s disproportionately higher in low-income countries. Literacy is declining in many countries, with millions of people remaining illiterate, and women disproportionately affected. Inequalities persist due to gender, wealth and geography.

The U.N. goals are to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, eliminate wealth and gender disparities, and achieve universal access to quality higher education. Education can break the cycle of poverty, and create more healthy and sustainable lives, which can lead to greater tolerance among people and contribute to a more peaceful society.

Education financing should be an investment priority, with free education, compulsory number of teachers, digital communication technology and better infrastructure. Early childhood education is crucial for cognitive and social development. Adult literacy needs to include work-based training.

For those in marginalized groups, in conflict areas, and in areas where natural disasters occur, policies need to be developed and regulated. Statistics show that those who leave school at an early age (dropouts), are vulnerable to unemployment, poverty, early marriages, higher crime rates and pregnancy.

But there are barriers to fixing the problem. Government commitments to resources, including funding, fall short. There remains inequality related to many social and cultural factors, such as prejudice and discrimination in school environments. In regions of conflicts, there can exist a loss of responsibility. Quality education can be poor. Technology and infrastructure may be inadequate. There can exist a disconnect between learning and daily life experience.

The FJMC can educate about climate activation and sustainability. Our inclusion initiatives emphasize the diversity of Jewish life and families, including those identified as LGBTQIA. For the transgender community especially, education is our tool to fight discrimination, exploitation and bullying. Our Leadership Development Institute trains multigenerational leaders. We aspire for better health and wellness, ethical AI, and mental health awareness, and we learn about the roots of antisemitism. We emphasize Hebrew literacy, Jewish identity and cultural identity. Our U.N. NGO representation opens our awareness to global issues.

As a Jewish man and father, I believe that education is not only the transfer of knowledge, but the transmission of identity, values, memory, responsibility and hope from one generation to the next. I feel that education is a means of modeling character, where wisdom without compassion is incomplete. Education is my way of teaching my children to be intellectually alive, morally grounded, spiritually aware and responsible to family, community and humanity.

Albert Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” The U.N.’s education goal reminds the world that education is not just about economic enhancement, but about shaping and compassion for human beings.

Dr. Steven Mandel is FJMC International’s NGO representative to the United Nations, and vice president of outreach and engagement for the New York Metro Region.