From left to right: Justin, Noam Davina, Lior

When asked what he enjoys most about working at the Mini-School, Justin Wise's answer was "everything". "The curriculum is packed with simply wonderful texts and I always feel excited about the opportunity of exploring them with others," he says. "The mix of people coming to Melton in London is wonderful - a complete range of ages, affiliations, backgrounds, level of knowledge. It makes for a compelling and vibrant mix. Most of all, that Melton has no particular view-point to push is what makes it work for me, to be involved in a process of critically and freely thinking and discussing these wonderful sources is simply a joy."

Justin Wise has been teaching at the London Mini-School since October 2000 and was a Melton student in the first two years of the London site. "I'd long had a desire to find work in adult Jewish education and was immediately taken by the challenging nature of the material, the willingness to treat adults as mature and inquiring individuals, the mix of people coming to learn, and the commitment to pluralism. It essentially seemed the ideal opportunity for me," he says.

Justin was always involved in the community, with years of involvement in RSY-Netzer, the Reform Zionist Youth Movement in the UK, that established his lifelong passion for Jewish education. His first steps as an Adult Jewish educator came to him via both Netzer and his involvement in Limmud, a groundbreaking Jewish Educational organization in the UK. Melton was an obvious next step.

When Justin started teaching at the Mini-School, he felt a great responsibility to be "the teacher" of the group. Now he sees himself more as a guide. "My job is to know enough background and to do enough preparation to be able to guide our discussion in useful directions," he says. "We all learn together, however, and I certainly now see myself as part of the community of learners in the room."

His most moving and interesting experiences are with those students who find that Melton, with its opportunity to ask searching and challenging questions, is making the edifice upon which they have built their Judaism until now tremble and shake. "That's a scary process," he says. "Most often, however, the shaking is then replaced by the first steps in rebuilding a new way of thinking about Judaism. The Melton experience opens the doors towards building a Jewish world view on a surer footing. Usually going through that experience leaves the person somewhere quite different from where they started, but with a thirst to learn more and an ability to engage Jewishly as a critically thinking independent adult. I've seen this happen from all directions - to people from traditional and secular backgrounds alike."

The strategies that he feels contribute to the success of teaching are preparation and a good "road map". "Even though many sessions involve quite free-flowing discussion, knowing where you are trying to get to, how ideas build on and relate to one another, and summarizing succinctly (at the start and end of the hour) are the keys to enabling students to leave with a sense of accomplishment, having been on a rewarding journey through the texts."

When asked for a best teaching moment, he mentioned teaching a class on Mishkan that he feared the students would see as dry and irrelevant to their lives. He enjoyed watching the discussion generate sparks and fly in all kinds of exciting and unanticipated directions.

Justin's advice to other teachers is to read widely while preparing and not to rely solely on the teacher's materials, useful as they may be to start with, as often there is a need to go much further. He also suggests asking other teachers to recommend their favorite books. He also suggests bringing extra sources that may have particular relevance to the students, who may vary from class to class and year to year. He also advises not to worry about not knowing answers to questions posed by your students. "Go away and find the answer for next time," he says.

"Justin is a fabulous Melton teacher, generating thoughtful dialogue while never losing control of where the discussion should go," says Judy Trotter, London Mini-School Director. "Having been a Melton student himself is a great advantage; he is aware of where the student is coming from. It is always evident that Justin has spent time preparing the class and his manner of delivery finds just the right balance. He is a real pleasure to have on the faculty."

Justin grew up in London, and lives with his partner, Davina, and two wonderful little boys: Noam (3) and Lior (1). They live in Temple Fortune, in the heart of what he describes as a vibrant Jewish community. During the day he works from home in a computer software company that makes graphics software for TV and movie special effects. Justin studied at the Independent Day School in London and at Cambridge University, where he majored in Computer Science. He met his spouse on an RSY-Netzer Israel Tour in 1986.

Justin's hobbies are Jewish education & study, reading (philosophy, fiction, science, history, Jewish texts), cycling, guitar, film & theatre, music - with a particular passion for jazz in all its forms, Bach, Mozart, and Queen - and photography.

If he were to make a wish, it would be for continued happiness and health, a close and nurturing family, and a web of rich friendships and community - most of which he feels he is blessed with at the moment.

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