The educational experience of Jews in Będzin was diverse. Poorer Jewish families could not afford the tuition of private Jewish schooling. They sent their children to public Polish schools alongside predominately Catholic children. As a result, less well-to-do Jews were in closer contact with their non-Jewish neighbors. Sometimes, this resulted in being less rooted in Jewish customs and community life.
The financially comfortable members of the community possessed the means to provide their children with private Jewish educational institutions. In Będzin, a prominent private school was the co-educational Fürstenberg Gymnasium. Its curriculum included specifically Jewish theatrical, musical, and athletic associations, fostered Judaism and instructed them in the Yiddish and Hebrew languages. Jewish teens could also choose to enroll in trade schools, offering professional training that would assist one’s transition into the work force. These trades included: agriculture, carpentry, sewing, mechanics, metalwork, and electricity.
After the Nazi occupation and during the ghettoization period, it was difficult for the community to maintain Jewish educational and religious practices. Schools were closed. Additional restrictions, like curfews, limited opportunities. Nonetheless, for some the continuation of religious practice and communal life became an important form of resistance against Nazi oppression. For instance, the Jewish community participated in collective efforts to educate one another. Harsh conditions in the ghetto did not entirely prevent the Jewish community from circulating books and continuing informal education.