🕍 Axios PM: Hebrew school slump

Plus: EVs' tricky politics | Thursday, May 04, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Amazon   Axios PM By Mike Allen · May 04, 2023 👋🏻 Happy Thursday! Today's PM — edited by Alex Fitzpatrick — is 566 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     1 big thing: Hebrew school drop-off Students work on reading Hebrew at the Adath Jeshurun synagogue in Minnetonka, Minn. Photo: Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune via Getty Images   Hebrew school enrollment fell by almost half between 2006 and 2020 nationwide, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. That's according to a new report from The Jewish Education Project, a nonprofit supporting Jewish educators. Why it matters: Hebrew school has long been a crucial place for passing on Jewish traditions and values. 🕍 The number of supplementary Hebrew schools — which students attend in addition to public or secular private school to learn the Hebrew language, Jewish rituals and history — also dropped, with 556 shutting entirely. Each school is different, but "they all said that one of their priorities was creating a sense of belonging," Rabbi Dena Klein, The Jewish Education Project's senior managing director of new models, tells Axios. Context: The enrollment drop comes amid a broader falloff in membership at some synagogues. 🧑‍💻 What's happening: Independent Jewish religious programs, online communities and new Jewish centers are challenging synagogues as the sole center of engagement. "People who want to really explore their Judaism more culturally or ethnically, socially ... can do that without all of the religious obligations," Miriam Heller Stern, a professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, tells Axios. 📈 Yes, but: The number of children enrolled in Jewish day schools in the U.S. and Canada jumped by 43% from 2006 to 2020, the report found. Go deeper.     2. ⚡️ Electric cars' tricky politics Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios   When it comes to cars and energy, it's not politically easy being green, Ben Geman writes for Axios Generate. 👩‍🔧 Driving the news: The United Auto Workers isn't yet endorsing President Biden's newly launched 2024 run, citing Biden's electric vehicle push. "The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom," UAW President Shawn Fain wrote in a recent memo to members. He cited EV-related plant closures and said automakers' joint ventures with battery manufacturers are undermining wages. 🔧 The big picture: The shift from gas to electric cars has long been worrisome for labor, because EVs require fewer workers to assemble. 🥊 Reality check: The powerful union is unlikely to ditch Biden, who it endorsed in 2020. 🔋 And red states, including Georgia and South Carolina, are incentivizing EV and battery manufacturing in a bid for new jobs. Go deeper.     A message from Amazon "I've been promoted 3x in just two years"     Since starting at Amazon in 2021, Jessica has been promoted three times. "Being promoted so many times has been a huge boost in pay but also in my confidence," she said. The story: Amazon offers free technical training programs to help employees like Jessica move into higher paying roles. Read more.     3. Catch me up Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images   Above: Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, a leader of the Proud Boys right-wing extremist group, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Go deeper. 🤖 President Biden "dropped by" today's two-hour White House meeting with four CEOs of top AI companies, led by Vice President Harris. Go deeper. 🎤 Ed Sheeran didn't steal key elements of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" for his hit song "Thinking Out Loud," a jury found today. Go deeper.     4. ⚾️ 1 fun thing: TV networks clock in Clockwise from top left: Pitch clock graphics for ESPN, Bally Sports, Fox and NESN. Via Twitter   One month into Major League Baseball's first season with a pitch clock, TV networks have mostly settled on how they're each displaying the key countdown, Axios Sports author Kendall Baker reports. Some keep the clock visible at all times, while others only show the timer when it's about to run out. Some clocks turn a different color with 10 seconds left. ⏰ The big picture: It's all about helping viewers "feel" the pitch clock — without reminding them of it so frequently that it takes away from the joy of baseball. Go deeper.     A message from Amazon "Amazon opened a door I didn't think was available anymore"     Christine, a mom of five, couldn't find the time or money to get her degree. Amazon helped her jump back in with fully funded tuition and a flexible working schedule. The impact: "Before Amazon, we couldn't afford for me to go to school — with five kids it just wasn't possible." Read Christine's story.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: