Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education

Welcome to Our Jewish Futures, a new series within Adapting hosted by The Jewish Education Project's Dr. Samantha Vinokor- Meinrath! In this series, Samantha speaks with educators and thought leaders from in and outside the world of Jewish education to envision the Jewish Future. Join us for this exciting new journey! New episodes will be released about once a month in the Adapting podcast feed. Our Jewish Futures is hosted and produced by Dr. Samantha Vinokor Meinrath, The Jewish Education Project's Senior Director, Knowledge, Ideas and Learning.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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. 

Can you imagine if your congregation had 100% participation for every Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service? According to Rabbi Matt Dreffin of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, that's typically the case in some small Jewish communities he works with. Rabbi Dreffin speaks with David Bryfman about the vitality of Jewish life in the South and what can we all learn from what’s taking place in small Southern communities, how he designs an intensely detailed curriculum with the intention that anyone--even people with no Jewish knowledge--could teach Hebrew school, and what it feels like to be the first Jewish person someone meets. He even plays a bit of a famous Southern song! This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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. 

Who owns the Torah? What does it mean for Jewish education now that we have free universal access to the Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish texts? Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, a free virtual library of Jewish texts, speaks with David Bryfman about her passion for Jewish text, how gender affected her own access to Jewish texts, and what drives her work building a new digital infrastructure for Jewish text.   This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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.   

"As my colleague Allison Cook says, 'It feels like magic, but it doesn’t take magic to make it happen, it takes pedagogy.'" Rabbi Avi Killip, Executive Vice President of Hadar Institute, joins David Bryfman to discuss what it takes to make Jewish learning- family engagement, adult education, and everything in between- magical and meaningful. She also reflects on how her struggles with dyslexia impact how she teaches today.This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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. 

"Would I open that?” Carine Warsawski, often asks herself when she and her team are creating email blasts and other marketing materials for Trybal Gatherings, a national nonprofit that reimagines Jewish gatherings for adults in their 20s and 30s. Carine, the founder and CEO of Trybal, delves into the social media strategies that have helped Trybal rise above “the noise” to truly engage with Jewish adults in a hyper-busy world. Grab your color war gear, fill up your water bottle, and get ready to head to camp! This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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 has changed and what needs to stay the same in Jewish teen engagement? Michelle Shapiro Abraham, an award-winning Jewish educator with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), spends her days pondering these questions. Michelle reflects on how her educational and professional journey - starting as a full-scholarship camper at Camp Swig in the 1980s - has impacted the way she strives to empower Jewish teens participating in camp, Israel, and immersive educational programs.

What should Jewish educators be teaching students and families about Ukraine and its complex Jewish past during this time of war? Leonard Petlakh, Executive Director of the Kings Bay Y and JCC Brooklyn, speaks with David Bryfman about how educators can navigate the complex contours of this conflict. Hear about Leonard’s trip to Kyiv in October 2021 and his vision for a time when we can start proactively educating about Jewish life in Ukraine and the former Soviet Union and the vibrancy of Russian Jewish culture.  Check out pictures from Leonard's trip at bit.ly/adaptingukrainewarjewisheducationThis episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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 is the magic of 21st century Jewish day schools? Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, Head of School at Westchester Day School, speaks with David Bryfman about the unique opportunities Jewish day schools provide. Rabbi Lookstein, who hails from a rabbinic dynasty, offers reflections on his family’s legacy and what he learned at his parents’ Shabbat table. Hear how #opernationshabbatshalom has brought a new sense of community and connection to his Shabbat preparations.Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education is a production of The Jewish Education Project. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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. 

Amidst rising anti-Semitism, Holocaust education recently made nationwide headlines after a school board in Tennessee voted to remove the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel Maus from its curriculum. In this episode, Professor Ben Jacobs of George Washington University breaks down why this change sparked such controversy. Together, he and David Bryfman explore the state of Holocaust education in secular and Jewish schools, historically and today, and why the medium of a graphic novel is so conducive to transmitting the horrors of the Shoah to a new, digitally minded generation. Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education is a production of The Jewish Education Project. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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. 

The impact of Jewish Day Camps in North America is significant. Rabbi Ami Hersh - the director of Ramah Nyack- knows this well as someone who has spent more than half his life working in the field. Rabbi Hersh and David Bryfman explore some of the magic of Jewish day camps, expose a few secrets behind these experiences, and challenge us all to think about how such a successful model of Jewish education can be spread to other settings and experienced all year-round. Additional Resources:Vision at the Heart: Lessons from Camp Ramah On The Power of Ideas In Shaping Educational Institutions - Seymour Fox with William NovakAdapting: The Future of Jewish Education is a production of The Jewish Education Project. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  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 on Apple Podcasts 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.