Ziva R Hassenfeld

This study examines how a Jewish coming-of-age ritual—the bar/bat mitzvah—serves as a point of intersection between sacred practices and secular aspirations. Drawing on a multi-sited ethnography of seven families from non-Orthodox congregations in Silicon Valley, the research highlights how the bar/bat mitzvah serves both as a religious milestone and as a structured rehearsal for adulthood. Through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and innovative video diaries, the study reveals the multidimensional role of the bar/bat mitzvah. Families and religious institutions collaborate to transmit class-specific cultural capital—interpersonal and performative fluency, resilience and discipline, and leadership and social management competencies—through the preparation and execution of the ritual. Aside from transmitting Jewish values, the bar/bat mitzvah equips adolescents with competencies that extend beyond religious settings, preparing them to navigate broader social, academic, and professional domains. The communal nature of bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, marked by shared rituals and public recognition, also serves as a vehicle for transmitting the values and competencies associated with upper-middle-class life in American Jewish communities. By demonstrating how sacred rituals align with secular aspirations, this study contributes to qualitative sociology by reframing religion as a dynamic site of cultural reproduction and social adaptation.

This study examines how bilingual students compare to monolingual students in their acquisition of textual Hebrew. Using a case study of 42 5th and 6th grade students at a private Jewish elementary school located in the northeastern United States, we consider how students with different linguistic backgrounds approach the task of translating biblical text. By analyzing students’ textual Hebrew translation abilities and their refusal behaviors, we explore the ways in which students’ identification with Hebrew language, other languages, and religious engagement beyond the classroom impact their approach to the task of translation. Through both quantitative and qualitative analysis, we find that students’ linguistic backgrounds and identities do not significantly impact their textual Hebrew translation and comprehension abilities.

This paper presents findings from research conducted over two years examining students’ biblical Hebrew comprehension levels in full-time private Jewish schools. The study included teacher interviews, classroom observations, student assessments, parent surveys, and three rounds of task-based interviews with 43 students focused on reading and translating biblical Hebrew. This paper makes three primary contributions. First, it presents findings on the level of fluency these students have in biblical Hebrew, drawing on a group of students who have been schooled in Ivrit b’Ivrit. Second, it offers portraits of how these students approach the task of translating and comprehending biblical Hebrew. Third, it suggests a novel path forward for biblical Hebrew education in full-time Jewish schools, given the consistently low levels of biblical Hebrew comprehension observed. The results of this study suggest that the Jewish educational community, particularly those invested in full-time Jewish schooling, might consider reforming the goals and purposes of biblical Hebrew education in particular the current Ivrit b’Ivrit model.

Religious literacy practices are often written about as a singular, uniform concept within a given religious community. In reality, religious literacy practices can be diverse and contested within their own communities. This article examines two distinct literacy practices in Jewish tradition, both promoted across various sources. It offers an empirical portrait of each as taught in an elementary school Hebrew Bible classroom. This article has two aims: First, to broaden appreciation for diversity within religious traditions. Second, to connect that diversity to literacy pedagogy more broadly.