Bet Yaakov, or “House of Jacob,” refers in the Bible to the Jewish people, but for about 100 years, this term has stood for religious schools for Jewish girls.
The establishment of these schools was a revolution in Jewish education.
The beginnings
Since the commandment to study the Torah does not apply to women, there was traditionally no formal schooling for girls in the Jewish community. They were prepared by their mothers and other female relatives for the primarily domestic roles they would fulfill as Jewish housewives. In the second half of the 19th century, as economic conditions in Eastern Europe deteriorated, it became necessary to send girls to school. They needed to acquire the linguistic and professional skills required to support a family.
There was also pressure from governments to educate Jewish children in non-religious settings. As a result, many strictly observant Jewish parents began sending their daughters to non-Jewish, and sometimes even Catholic, schools. There, they encountered secular literature and anti-traditional cultural and social trends, including an emerging form of feminism. This exposure...
Become a Member
-
Read all member content
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel.
-
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel
Connect with Israel, right from your home.
-
Lift up the voice of truth and hope
Support Jerusalem-based Zionist journalism.
Already a member? Login here.
