Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education

In the first episode with Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath as our new alternating co-host, Samantha shares the true purpose of Jewish education: to help foster pride, joy, and connection, rather than building identity around fear or hate. Learn more from Samantha and hear about her journey of becoming a Jewish educator and how she has helped teens connect to the richness of Jewish peoplehood! This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

This morning, we received joyous news that all 20 living hostages are back home. At the same time, we’re awaiting the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages. So, as a community, how are we supposed to feel? As Jewish educators, how do we create the memory of what October 7th meant for the Jewish people?Joining David Bryfman to discuss this complex moment in history are Rabbi Menachem Creditor and Rabba Yaffa Epstein, who reflect on post-war rituals and where we’re moving as a people. This is an episode of Adapting we’ve been wanting to release for two years, and it offers guidance for anyone seeking meaning, direction, and hope in the aftermath of war. This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

Two years after October 7th, CEO David Bryfman delivers an unscripted, deeply personal message to Jewish educators who have carried impossible burdens through unimaginable circumstances. This isn't a typical Adapting episode. It's a raw, honest monologue about what it means to educate when the world feels broken. Speaking directly to all stakeholders of Jewish education—defined by anyone who cares deeply about the field and its future—David balances mourning and hope at a time when that future feels both fragile and urgent. Hope for the return of all hostages, for the end of suffering, and for the day we can return to instilling joy and pride instead of defending against hatred. This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

What does it mean to bring your whole self into Jewish education? Activist, educator, and previously named one of the 50 most influential rabbis in the U.S. by Newsweek, Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, joins Adapting this week for a conversation about authenticity in Jewish education.   Rabbi Dr. Yanklowitz and David Bryfman explore how Jewish education becomes most impactful when educators are “radically inspired” by their work, drawing from their own journeys, struggles, and commitments. They discuss how the very best Jewish educators, and supporters of Jewish education, embrace plurality and curiosity, and can seamlessly integrate both their personal and professional interests altogether into one integrated life purpose. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum, Miranda Lapides, and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

In this week’s episode, transformative Jewish thinker Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg joins us for a rich conversation about morality and justice, and how we as educators can empower our students to imagine a brighter future. Rabbi Danya sheds light on how the Torah’s earliest stories, values, and the practice of teshuvah can become teaching tools for possibility, integrity, and ethical living. Just in time for the High Holidays, Rabbi Danya explores how we can nurture a generation capable of imagining a more just and compassionate world. I'm Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff, Illustrated by Julie KwonResource Guide: On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi Danya RuttenbergThis episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum, Miranda Lapides, and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

How can educators help Jews reclaim their identity from shame, assimilation, and antisemitism, and instead embrace the richness of Jewish tradition in all its complexity? In the Season 6 premiere ofAdapting: The Future of Jewish Education, David Bryfman speaks with Sarah Hurwitz, former White House speechwriter and author of Here All Along and the forthcoming As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us. From her first adult Shabbat dinner to the ways internalized stereotypes still shape Jewish life, Hurwitz shares deeply personal insights that invite educators and parents to consider how they can guide learners toward Jewish pride, authenticity, and resilience. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum, Miranda Lapides, and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

For the Season 5 finale of Adapting, David sits down with a very special guest— himself! Before leaving for his sabbatical, David answers some of the most common questions he gets asked about Jewish education. From the need for a cohesive vision of Jewish education, to why we need more Jewish educators, to the importance of maintaining optimism, listen to hear the vision for the future of Jewish education. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Miranda Lapides. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

Sabbaticals, break weeks, and paid vacation, oh my! For many, the idea of taking a break from work is daunting. With the disruption in the work environment, how will anything get done? As he prepares his own upcoming sabbatical, David Bryfman discusses the role that rest plays in the workplace with Josh Feldman, CEO and founder of R&R: The Rest of our Lives.In a time marked by burnout and uncertainty, especially in the nonprofit world, stepping back is more necessary than ever. Josh suggests that it isn’t productive to be productive all of the time; a runner doesn’t sprint for a whole race, they have disciplined places of sprint, of walk, and of stillness. How can we incorporate stillness into our work? Furthermore, Josh reminds the audience of the Jewishness of rest, and how we can be inspired by the Sabbath and the shmita year. David and Josh challenge the audience to think about when work gets done, and when it doesn’t.  This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Miranda Lapides. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

Imagine a classroom where students face each other, rather than the whiteboard, and discuss David Ben-Gurion and Aristotle, while studying Hebrew and Latin. Welcome to Emet, the first classical Jewish prep school in the U.S. Founded in 2023 in New York City, Emet is pioneering a model that integrates Jewish wisdom with academic excellence, offering students an education where Judaism is infused seamlessly into academic subjects, from physical education (Krav Maga), to chemistry. In this thought-provoking conversation with Emet’s founding Head of School, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Unger, learn how academic rigor is raising the bar for its students to build strength and character, inspiring children to become Jewish leaders of the future. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Miranda Lapides. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

In this important episode, David sits down with recipients of the 2024 Shine A Light on Antisemitism Civic Courage Award, Dr. Devin Randolph and Rabbi Dr. Meir Muller. Together, they discuss ways to combat prejudice, racism, and antisemitism by searching for the commonalities in Black and Jewish fights for freedom and liberation.  Dr. Randolph and Rabbi Dr. Muller encourage us to move away from black and white thinking and, instead, be vulnerable with each other, so that our human experiences may educate each other. Particularly in a post-October 7th landscape, the tension that may accompany Jewish education can create space for curiosity, support, and solidarity. Through historical and personal examples, this conversation explores the goal of promoting justice and understanding different perspectives.  This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Miranda Lapides. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.