Two Jewish Literacy Practices: Complicating Monolithic Conceptions of Religious Literacy

Abstract

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.