Tarbut
Encyclopedia
The Tarbut movement was a network of secular, Hebrew-language schools in parts of the former Jewish Pale of Settlement
, specifically in Poland
, Romania
and Lithuania
. Its existence was primarily between World War I
and Two
, although some schools affiliated with the movement continue to operate today.
Tarbut was a Zionist network of Hebrew
-language educational institutions founded in 1922, when the first Tarbut conference was held in Warsaw
. It operated kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, teachers' seminaries, adult education courses, lending libraries and a publishing house that produced pedagogical materials, textbooks and children's periodicals.
Tarbut schools had 25,829 students in 1921; 37,000 in 1934–1935; and 45,000 students enrolled in some 270 institutions by 1939. These included about 25% of all students enrolled in Jewish schools in Poland, and 9% of Poland's entire Jewish student population in Poland. The curriculum was secular, including science, humanities, and Hebrew studies, including Jewish history.
By the time the war brought the European Tarbut schools to an end, they had long been suffering from chronic underfunding. European Jews who appealed to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
for aid included poet Chaim Nachman Bialik and Zionist leaders Nahum Sokolow
and Vladimir Jabotinsky.
Nonetheless, some Tarbut schools continued to operate during the war years, notably one in Bukhara
, Uzbekistan
, which served the large population of Jewish refugees from Poland. The school operated until the end of the war under the headmastership of Nachum Szochet (נחום שוחט). The graduating students took high school matriculation exams under the auspices of the Polish government-in-exile, and as a result were able to continue their higher education after the war.
taking place around the time of its founding by fostering increased local Hebrew-language children's publishing. These efforts included Shibolim ("Ears of Wheat"), a Warsaw biweekly published during 1922-1923 which featured both vowelled and unvowelled text, making it suitable for children of all ages, and consisted largely of literature, entertainment, sports and crafts; and, from 1935-1939, the biweekly Olami, a current-events-heavy series which consisted of Olami ("My World"), for Grades 5-7; Olami Hakatan ("My Small World"), for Grades 3-4; and Olami Haktantan ("My Tiny World"), for Grades 1-2. Olamis material included current events in Palestine alongside information about Jewish life in Poland.
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia, in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed, and beyond which Jewish permanent residency was generally prohibited...
, specifically in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Its existence was primarily between World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Two
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, although some schools affiliated with the movement continue to operate today.
Education Activities
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
-language educational institutions founded in 1922, when the first Tarbut conference was held in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. It operated kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, teachers' seminaries, adult education courses, lending libraries and a publishing house that produced pedagogical materials, textbooks and children's periodicals.
Tarbut schools had 25,829 students in 1921; 37,000 in 1934–1935; and 45,000 students enrolled in some 270 institutions by 1939. These included about 25% of all students enrolled in Jewish schools in Poland, and 9% of Poland's entire Jewish student population in Poland. The curriculum was secular, including science, humanities, and Hebrew studies, including Jewish history.
By the time the war brought the European Tarbut schools to an end, they had long been suffering from chronic underfunding. European Jews who appealed to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
for aid included poet Chaim Nachman Bialik and Zionist leaders Nahum Sokolow
Nahum Sokolow
Nahum Sokolow was a Zionist leader, author, translator, and a pioneer of Hebrew journalism....
and Vladimir Jabotinsky.
Nonetheless, some Tarbut schools continued to operate during the war years, notably one in Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, which served the large population of Jewish refugees from Poland. The school operated until the end of the war under the headmastership of Nachum Szochet (נחום שוחט). The graduating students took high school matriculation exams under the auspices of the Polish government-in-exile, and as a result were able to continue their higher education after the war.
Publishing Activities
Tarbut responded to the shift in Hebrew literature publishing to PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
taking place around the time of its founding by fostering increased local Hebrew-language children's publishing. These efforts included Shibolim ("Ears of Wheat"), a Warsaw biweekly published during 1922-1923 which featured both vowelled and unvowelled text, making it suitable for children of all ages, and consisted largely of literature, entertainment, sports and crafts; and, from 1935-1939, the biweekly Olami, a current-events-heavy series which consisted of Olami ("My World"), for Grades 5-7; Olami Hakatan ("My Small World"), for Grades 3-4; and Olami Haktantan ("My Tiny World"), for Grades 1-2. Olamis material included current events in Palestine alongside information about Jewish life in Poland.
Today
The Tarbut network no longer exists today, and so no school can today affiliate with it. Despite this, Jewish schools which share the values of the original Tarbut network have adopted the word as a part of their names:- ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
: Colegio TarbutColegio TarbutColegio Tarbut is a Jewish private school founded in 1961 in the city of Olivos, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Pedagogy :Colegio Tarbut is named after the Tarbut movement of humanistic Jewish education, and has much in common with that movement's curricular philosophy...
in Olivos, Buenos AiresOlivos, Buenos AiresOlivos is an Argentine city in Vicente López Partido in the Province of Buenos Aires and a suburb within the Greater Buenos Aires metro area.... - MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
: Colegio Hebreo Tarbut in Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... - U.S.: Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School in Irvine, CaliforniaIrvine, CaliforniaIrvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
Sources
- Zackary Sholem Berger, "Bialik's Poetic Plea to the Joint: Save Our Schools", The Forward (14 November 2003).http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.11.14/giving3.html
- Adina Bar-El, "The 'Tarbut' Network in Poland and its Children's Periodicals". http://www.tau.ac.il/education/arch/abstract21.html
- YIVO InstituteYIVOYIVO, , established in 1925 in Wilno, Poland as the Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut , or Yiddish Scientific Institute, is a source for orthography, lexicography, and other studies related to the Yiddish language...
, "Zionism and Zionist Parties". (PDF)