Problems and patterns of Jewish education in Weimar Berlin

As a result of a low birth rate, assimilation, and intermarriage, Jewish life in Berlin during the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) experienced a decline in population and culture. In spite of this decline, there were some in the Berlin Jewish community who were committed to preserving German Jewry as an identifiable community. These community members believed that to maintain the integrity of Jewish life and Jewish continuity it was necessary to build a strong, quality Jewish educational system consisting of a network of Jewish day schools. Such schools would produce a strong Jewish identity and prevent assimilation. Opponents felt that intensive Jewish education was not the answer to the problems of the Jewish community and that semi-weekly religious instruction classes in the public school would be sufficient for the modern German Jewish child. They, in fact, advocated the dissolution of Jewish day schools and afternoon supplemental schools. These conflicting opinions known as the "Jewish school debate" became a central issue in the political struggle between rival Jewish political parties in the Berlin community.;The Berlin Jewish community and its educational system faced significant challenges and adversities as a result of this internal political controversy, the creation of the Weimar Constitution and the post-World War I economic depression. Yet, by 1930, 17.4% of all Jewish school age children in Berlin attended Jewish day schools. Additional afternoon Hebrew school classes, adult education programs, Hebrew and Jewish culture classes, and programs helped upgrade the status of Jewish life. Although these successes were limited they made the Jewish community somewhat stronger. The inroads made during the Weimar Years helped to lay the foundation for the educational infrastructure of the Jewish community during the Nazi years when Jewish children were not permitted to attend German schools.