Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education

Jewish Day Schools are having a celebrated moment, but will they be viable in 20 years? Are the trends and challenges that may impact day schools in the future...leadership turnover, a quality educator pipeline, and affordability, being sufficiently acknowledged and addressed?  In this week's episode of Adapting, David Bryfman explores these topics and more with Dr. Chaim Botwinick, an executive coach, consultant, and day school executive director who is bravely challenging the status quo. His frank assessment of the strengths and deficiencies in the Jewish Day School landscape is both illuminating and disquieting, but ultimately leaves listeners with a newfound sense of optimism on how we can sustain a thriving Jewish Day School system.Read Chaim's article in the Times of Israel here.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 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.

Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras want society to argue more. Really! The two veteran educators believe that arguments can be a constructive force in Israel education. Robbie and Abi, authors of the book Stories For The Sake of Argument, explain why argument does not always have to end in divisiveness, and how a healthy argument can bring people of opposing view points closer together. This conversation takes on added importance this week, in the aftermath of the Israeli election and as Israelis and Jews around the world prepare to observe and reflect on the 28th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a time when the space for healthy arguments was missing in Israeli society.To learn more about Yom Rabin, check out For The Sake of Argument's free resources about what the day means to different groups in Israeli society. 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.

In this episode of Adapting David Bryfman speaks with Noam Weissman of OpenDor Media, an experienced Israel educator and podcaster in his own right. They discuss how Jewish educators can use the upcoming Israeli elections as a teaching tool to further engage students with Israel and the complexities of Israeli society. Noam shares his affection for Israeli political ads, which OpenDor Media has translated and captioned for non-Hebrew speakers to access. In this discussion Noam is forthright in his views about Jewish education and that in today’s day and age, it’s not possible "to have a healthy relationship with one’s Jewish identity without including Israel in that.”Interested in learning more about Israel's upcoming elections? Check out Unpacked's translated and captioned political ads here. Unpacked's guide to the 2022 Israeli elections. Unpacked video: Inside Israel's Knesset.Noam's podcast, Unpacking Israeli History.

The ecosystem of Jewish education depends on the contributions of various stakeholders and philanthropy is playing an increasing role in this landscape. This episode of Adapting explores some of the passion, concerns, and challenges that funders think about when making their contributions to Jewish causes. In conversation with Shawna Goodman Sone, raised in Montreal and now living in Israel, David discusses why Shawna cares so deeply about the issues and the various causes that motivate her philanthropy. "It starts with the kishkes," Shawna says, "and everything else goes from there." The wisdom and learning from this episode clearly speaks to both funders and practitioners, and emphasizes the need for further conversations like these that bridge the seeming gap between the two.Loved the episode and looking for more insight into philanthropic decision making? Listen to Shawna and her brother Jonathan Goodman on the Jewish Funders Network's podcast, What Gives? 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.

For what was once regarded as fluffy education, experiential Jewish education has grown exponentially in recent decades. It’s dramatic rise has also surfaced many challenges for Jewish educators, academics, and those who support them. Does experiential Jewish education need a set of formal standards for educators and learners? And if so, who should be responsible for crafting these standards in a way that captures the breadth and diversity of everything that falls under the banner of experiential Jewish education. In this conversation the contrasting viewpoints, of friends and close colleagues, Shuki Taylor and David Bryfman, might surprise you.Check out Shuki's article, "Jewish Education Should Have 'Shoulds' " co-authored with Benjamin M. Jacobs.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.

 According to Rabbi Ben Spratt, if you look around the American Jewish landscape, some organizations and institutions seem stuck, petrified of making big and needed changes. On the horizon, he views an American Jewish future that is able to break this stagnation as he places Jewish educators and Jewish education at the center of this seismic and necessary shift. What led Rabbi Spratt to this revelation? Why are Jewish educators uniquely suited for this moment? Listen to find out. Check out Rabbi Spratt's new book, Awakenings: American Jewish Transformations in Identity, Leadership, and Belonging, co-authored with Rabbi Joshua Stanton. 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.

Imagine a job where you are expected to know every detail about a 5,000-year-old tradition and its sacred texts. Sounds difficult, right? Welcome to the world of Jewish educators. These unique challenges are one of the reasons that some Jewish educators struggle with impostor syndrome. It's something that concerns Rabba Yaffa Epstein, who has worked as a Jewish educator around the world for decades. On the first episode of season 3 of Adapting, Rabba Epstein and David Bryfman, The Jewish Education Project's CEO, ask: What do we need to do to help educators overcome this challenge?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.

Is the current state of Jewish education half full or half empty? You could say that the answer is somewhere in between, that both are true, at least to some extent. Or you could say that it really does depend on who you ask. 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.

This season of Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education will tackle some of the more challenging issues facing Jewish education today. You’ll be hearing from some of the most influential voices, discussing some of the more controversial issues – the ones that are more frequently spoken about behind closed doors than they are in public spaces. Adapting is hosted by David Bryfman, The Jewish Education Project's CEO. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 happens when you reimagine an ancient ritual like immersing in the mikveh? What is it that makes the mikveh’s restorative waters a powerful spiritual and educational experience? On this episode of Our Jewish Futures, Rabbi Amalia Mark of Mayyim Hayyim discusses her deep connection with the ritual of mikveh and how Mayyim Hayyim helps people from around the country and world connect with this ancient practice. This episode was 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.