The Jewish Education Experience Podcast

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Rabbi Dovi Nadel has been the coordinator of the Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach since 2015. Dovi is on the faculty of SAR High School and currently serves as the grade dean for the senior class. Dovi is a proud alum of Farber Hebrew Day School, Yeshivat Har Etzion, and Yeshiva University. He has a Master’s degree in Bible from YU-Revel and received his Semikha from YU-RIETS. For three consecutive summers he served as the Rosh Chinuch (Head of EducationalStaff) at Camp Stone in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania. Dovi credits his parents and two unique Middle/High School educators for inspiring his love of Tanach – Rabbi Eliezer Cohen Z”L and Rabbi Pinchas Amior.

Gems:

Inspire your students to learn Pesukim of the Torah well.
Make time for your students.
The key to textual fluency is when the student decides that they really want to learn it on their own.
Encourage students to take ownership of their learning.
The real reward is when students work hard.
Push the students more than they push themselves.
The short route ends up being the long route, the long route ends up being the short route.- Talmud
Be a steward through which to connect students to Torah and Hashem.
Generate a love of Torah and make it part of every day conversation.
Chinuch is about planting seeds, helping cultivate students in whatever way you can, and knowing you might not see the end result, however, we have an impact.
Ask your students what they find meaningful.
Be inspired by your students.
Stay fresh and creative.
Truly love your students and what you’re teaching.
Each of us has a duty to teach others.

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Jessie Rothstein is a new olah and a high school Tanach and Jewish History teacher in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, where she lives with her family. She received her BA in Jewish Studies and Anthropology at Emory University, in Atlanta, GA, focusing her undergraduate thesis on Holocaust survivor testimony from Argentina. She received her MS in Jewish Education from YU Azrieli and has been teaching in Modern Orthodox high schools for the past 8 years. Jessie is extremely grateful to Hashem that she has the privilege of teaching Tanach in Eretz Yisrael!

Gems:

Point out what is important to Hashem within Tanach.
Hashem loves us.
The Torah shows us what Hashem cares about.
Hashem cares about vulnerable people, and we ought to also.
It’s our job to have empathy for people who are less fortunate than us.
Show students the little moments that reveal Hashem’s presence.
Help students learn to have gratitude.
Kids must feel safe.
Learn how to disagree with people, while still being a loving person.
Help students recognize their potential and actualize it by giving them the tools they’ll need.
Create a sense of belonging amongst your students.
Each student has his/her own path.
We have to acknowledge and accept who the child is.
See each child not just as an individual, but as someone who is also part of a family.
Parents and educators are on the same team.
Put yourself in their shoes.
Keep the big picture in mind.
Learning how to be a teacher is done on the job.
Every difficult experience makes you a better teacher.
The Torah is our guide to life.

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Rebecca Masinter is the founder of Toras Imecha and Mother's Guidance which provide Torah based inspiration and practical guidance to parents. She has been involved in Jewish education for twenty-five years as a teacher, administrator, ACT tutor, and homeschool mother. Rebecca lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and six children, where she is active in the homeschool community and as an educator at Bnos Yisroel of Baltimore. Rebecca is passionate about sharing Torah wisdom with parents around the world and has created several video presentations and authored many articles which provide deep insights combined with down-to-earth tools for today's parents. https://www.torasimecha.com/ and https://www.mothersguidance.com/

Gems:

Do your best to approach things from a positive perspective.
For families: make time for family togetherness.
Decide what you want to give your students and how you want to impact them.
Take it one year at a time.
Decide what is best for each child at each given time.
Parents all have the same mission to train their children.
Parents are facilitators in their children’s education.
Allow children to become full partners in their education.
The early childhood years are critical years for the influence of the family.
The early years are the basis for the child’s whole life.
Children need their mother to be their primary influence during the early years.
Think about how we can help our children become their best selves.
Help students understand that they have a purpose in this world.
Continue growing yourself through reading, and taking classes.
Life is not meant to be easy.
Start children off on the path that they will go on for their whole life.
Think long-term.
Figure out what your goals are.
Think about what does Hashem want from you right in this moment?
When a student or child is struggling, it’s not personal.
You are not a failure when a student or child has challenges.
It’s not about the product in our roles as educators, it’s what are we putting into them.
In order to teach, you have to love your children/students.
Find your mentors.

Book Recommendations: Steven Covey- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families
Gordon Newfeld
Leonard Sacks
Linda and Richard Eyre-3 Steps to a Strong Family
Oliver and Rachel DeMille- Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families: Building a Beautiful Family Culture in a Turbulent World

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T’helah Ben-Dan is the founder of The Kefar, which provides virtual content, instruction, and coaching for Hebrew language learners and teachers. She also serves as Deputy Director of TALMA, overseeing recruitment and onboarding for the organization's teaching fellowships in Israel. T'helah has several years of classroom and online teaching experience, and loves all things Hebrew and Torah-related. T'helah holds an MA in Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language, an MS in Early Childhood Services, and a BA in African & African-American Studies. When she's not working, you can find her reading, baking, or traveling.

Gems:

Join with other educators and learn as much as you can from them.
Developing an understanding of the Hebrew language will aid in connecting with our fellow Jews and Israel.
Learn as much Hebrew as possible.
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of the fire.
Lead our students to the information and help inspire them to learn deeper.
Build the excitement and spark the curiousity.
How can we impart the knowledge given to us to the next generation?
Make the time to commit to your own learning.
Your time is valuable.
You can do anything, but not everything.
Love the work that you do!
Find a community of other educators.
Have fun!

https://www.youtube.com/thelahbendan

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Tamar Shuchat is the content developer and graphic designer of the sought after curriculum DotbyDot. She has taught reading to children of all ages for over 10 years. Tamar wanted to create quality material that would excite every young reader and motivate them to read Hebrew. The ultimate goal is to create readers who are comfortable to daven and learn Chumash. The DotbyDot curriculum uses Hebrew words that children will encounter in their daily life. The big focus of the curriculum is on only real words and also short Hebrew stories in the workbooks that bring meaning and excitement to the reading. Prior to printing these books Tamar mentioned that she didnt see much out there like that, which was the push to create a curriculum designed with that in mind. A story unit at the end of each Nekud is the highlight of the workbook. This stage in the learning process is exciting for the children. Tamar is passionate about bringing excitement to reading, and engaging all students in the reading process. Website: http://www.dotbydot.org/

Gems:

Reading problems must be addressed early on before moving to the next phase.
Help students master the skills properly from the beginning.
Use your skills.
Get feedback from clients and students.
Find other educators who encourage you.
See what works with children.
Reading skills are important.
It’s important to have a foundation to build upon.
Help students feel good about the process and inspire them to want to continue learning.
Every single child needs to be met where they are.

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Rabbi Daniel Bauer is a Judaic Studies teacher at Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Merion Station, PA as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Lander College for Men as well as an M.S. in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University. He received semicha through YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Rabbi Bauer studied at Council for Relationships in Philadelphia to attain a post-graduate certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy, and recently finished the licensing process. He lives in Bala Cynwyd with his amazing wife and three awesome children.

Gems:

Be a great role model.
Talk about loving G-d/Hashem with your students.
Be flexible with how you approach each class.
Give students more credit for their ability and figure out ways to make learning more accessible.
Discuss the deeper ideas with your students.
Put technology in its proper place.
Focus on the texts.
Literacy and knowledge of the texts is important.
Teach students to be able to think.
Help people sharpen their thinking and grow in their literacy.
Take the time to find out what is important to your students outside of the classroom.
Find a good mentor.
Be realistic about the goals you set for yourself and for your students.
Understand where students are coming from.

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In this special edition episode, I answer the questions that I usually ask other educators. I am a long-time educator who began as an assistant in my mother's classroom when I was 13 years old. I have taught in many different school settings. My focus now is on this podcast, and on teaching my own children. Parenting Course, Parenting On Purpose: https://la-med-learning-center.teachable.com/p/parenting-on-purpose-developing-a-deeper-connection-with-your-children

Gems:

We are always able to have a connection to Hashem.
Keep Hebrew names.
As parents, we must give our children a foundation to build on their Yiddishkeit.
Begin talking about Hashem/G-d from a young age.
Learning begins in the home.
As educators, our job is to create a love of learning.
We must teach according to each child’s ability.
Think long term.
We must teach our children about Hashem, relationships, and money.
Be grateful for every day.
Think long-term.
Mentor with other great educators.

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JTLP Interview: Jason Cohen is currently one of Harrisburg BBYO's chapter advisors. He joined as the chapter advisor here in Harrisburg in March of 2020. Prior to joining Harrisburg BBYO Jason was one of the co-advisors for Wilkes-Barre BBYO since 2011.

Judith Hodara is the Director of the Jewish Teen Learning Project in Harrisburg, and an active member of local Jewish organizations. Her scholarly work focuses on the importance of Hillel on the college campus.

Teens:
Alex, 8th grade

Madelyn, 9th grade

Julia, 9th grade

Yael, 9th grade

Gems:

Be proud to be Jewish.

Sometimes it’s the right time to respond and other times it’s better to turn to an authority figure who can help handle it.

It’s important to talk about issues with teens so that they feel comfortable.

Education is the key.

Allow students to be heard.

Join together with our fellow Jews.

Use what’s going on in Israel as an opportunity to increase your knowledge.

Inspire students to want to learn more. Spark the curiousity they have.

Students can inspire as well.

Learning never stops.

Connect with other Jews.

Know that you may not have all of the answers.

Learn to connect with your students.

Meet students where they are at.

Be flexible.

Develop a deeper understanding of Judaism.

Never forget that you’re Jewish.

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Esther Goldenberg is a native Chicagoan, author, educator, and mother of two fabulous children. Once a reluctant reader, but always someone who enjoyed a good story, she developed a passion for writing. She is the author of The Out of the Box Bat Mitzvah, A Guide to Creating a Meaningful Milestone, and A Story Every Week: Torah Wisdom for Today's World. Her much anticipated Biblical fiction novel, The Scrolls of Deborah, is available now. Esther continues to write and teach students of all ages, and also enjoys adventures with her children, chanting with her neighbors, and walks in nature. Her website is: https://www.esthergoldenberg.com/

Gems:

We learn best through stories.
Find ways to help students connect with the Torah.
Bring Jewish education alive.
Always have the student in mind when preparing and teaching.
When you share what's meaningful to you, it's inspiring for your students.
Guide students to find relevancy in what they're learning.

Handwriting Without Tears

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Rabbi Scot A. Berman has over 30 years in the fields of Jewish education and Jewish communal life. He has served in many educational capacities including elementary, secondary, university, and adult education. Rabbi Berman has served as principal of a number of Jewish schools and founded during his career two Jewish high schools. He also served as Executive Director of a multi-million-dollar family foundation. Currently, Rabbi Berman is the Director of English-Speaking Countries for UnitEd, an initiative of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs in partnership with Herzog College to help support the work of Jewish day schools throughout the world.

Gems:

Sometimes ideas should be implemented bottom up and not top to bottom.
Create networks.
We need the data in order to make good choices.
Put the student at the center.
Focus on building relationships with students.
Help your students develop, learn, and uncover meaning, and meaningfulness in their lives.
Find your way into the heart and mind of each child.
Important question to ask: has the learning, and process of studying made a difference in the neshama of the student?
Developing inspired Jews is the goal!
Continue to grow yourself as an effective facilitator.
Move from content to comprehension to deeper meaning to relevancy in the lives of our students.
Renew your own love of learning.

https://www.herzog.ac.il/en/english/

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Rabbi Sandy Eissenberg Sasso served with her husband as Rabbi of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, Indianapolis, IN from 1977- 2013. She currently is the director of the Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Initiative at Butler University and the Christian Theological Seminary. In 1974, she became the first woman ordained from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Philadelphia, PA. Rabbi Sasso earned her B.A. and M.A. from Temple University and her Doctorate of Ministry from the Christian Theological Seminary. She is the recipient of several honorary doctorates: Reconstructionist Rabbinical College; DePauw University; Butler University; Franklin College; and Christian Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Rabbi Sasso has been active in the arts, civic, and interfaith communities of Indianapolis and beyond. She has written and lectured on women and spirituality. Her rabbinic and interfaith work has helped to shape her interests in the discovery of the religious imagination in children and the connection between spirituality and the arts. She is the author of several nationally acclaimed children’s books, including her latest—I Am Not Afraid. Website: http://www.allaboutand.com/

Gems:

Jewish family life is important.
G-d must be part of the conversation.
Help children see that G-d is there for us.
Find ways to explain G-d that relates to a child’s experience.
Aid children in finding their understanding of what is holy and Divine.
Give children the tools to think on their own.
Continue the conversation as the child grows and their experiences change.
Look for ways to help children grow spiritually.
Teach students about why we do the things we do.
Give our children experiences of joy.
Students must see why what they’re learning matters.
Allow children to come up with their own prayers in addition to the liturgy.
Bring holiness into our everyday lives.
Children learn best through play.
Help students take the first steps and guide them along the way.
Give children the building blocks that they can build upon.
Create positive, strong experiences.
Provide children with a deeper faith.
Create moments of joy, inspiration, and times of celebration for children.
Engage in a conversation with your students.
Take complex ideas and share with children via a story.

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Yael Unterman is an international lecturer, author, and Bibliodrama facilitator living in Jerusalem. She holds MAs in Jewish History and Creative Writing. Her books are Nehama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar(finalist, 2009 National Jewish Book Awards) and The Hidden of Things: Twelve Stories of Love & Longing(finalist, 2015 USA Best Book Awards). She is an international lecturer and has facilitated over 700 workshops in the 'modern midrash' Bibliodrama method, invented by Harvard Professor Peter Pitzele. She has also published numerous essays, stories, and reviews, and created and performed her own biblical solo show, "After Eden".

Gems:

Expect delays on your journey.
Be open to new ideas.
Teach text and interpretation.
Bibliodrama allows each person to put themselves into the shoes of the character from the story or text.
It allows participants to gain a deeper understanding of the text.
Learning Torah is fun!
It is a powerful technique that uses various parts of the brain.
We tend to remember things better when emotions are involved.
Bibliodrama gives people their own voice.
Help each student find their path.
Keep Torah learning alive for children.

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Dr. Abraham Unger has been the Tikvah Fund’s Director of Regional Education since 2021. In that capacity, he has managed the launch and growth of the Millstone Scholars National Honors Program in Jewish Thought for middle school students across the country. This weekly afterschool program in Jewish ideas covers the Biblical through contemporary periods and meets in-person in discussion-driven seminar groups in all regions of the U.S. Before joining Tikvah, Dr. Unger served for 15 years as Director of Urban Programs at Wagner College, where he received tenure as a professor in Wagner’s Department of Government and Politics. He oversaw the Public Policy and Administration major while managing numerous community partnerships. While at Wagner, Dr. Unger was Project Manager of a major U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He received appointments as Senior Fellow at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management and as a Visiting Research Scholar in the Political Science Department at Fordham University. Dr. Unger has developed the Conservatory model of education, in which students start each phase of their education, from middle school through high school and university, with majors and rigorous specialized curricula alongside traditional distribution requirements. This curricular model weaves together theory and practice. Whether students stay with their majors or not as their interests evolve, the self-empowerment they experience as emerging specialists serves them for a lifetime. Dr. Unger is the author of numerous articles and three books examining the structure and implementation of public-private partnerships.

Gems:

Engage middle school students in serious Jewish thought through the text and great ideas.

Deep knowledge and deep immersion in the sources give students strength, confidence, and a connection to their past.
The whole world benefits from Jewish values.
The teacher encourages discussion between the students.
To have real freedom intellectually, one must know methodology and technique.
Put in the work with vigor and learn how the text sees itself in its own interpretive principles.
Know the material.
Once you know the text, it never leaves you.
It is empowering to know the text and commentaries.
Training students to see the text clearly.
There must be something to focus on.
Nothing is more empowering than helping students recognize their potential.
Don’t give up on young people!
Allow children to find one thing to focus on and with seriousness.
Prioritize your children’s Jewish learning.
You must love teaching.
Jewish life should be rich with thought a

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Zahava Bauer teaches middle school language arts and Halacha at the Caskey Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia, PA. She has a dual bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Jewish Education. She also has master’s degrees from Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud Study and from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. Zahava also works at Camp Moshava Ba’ir Greater Philadelphia.

Gems:

Bring everything back to Torah values.
Create a space to talk about Hashem.
Belief in Hashem is a journey.
There is still a way to connect with Hashem.
The more positive Jewish experiences, the better for our students.
Give students the knowledge they’ll need to be an informed Jew.
Connect with students and be a positive role model for them.
The connection with our students, keeps them in Judaism.
Help students connect with things that they are not familiar with.
Teach students empathy and how-to walk-in others’ shoes.
Tap into multiple ways to teach.
Make the learning hands-on and allow for choice.
Don’t take things personally.
It’s better to lose the class than to lose yourself.
Find people you love working with.

The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Night by Elie Wiesel

A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park

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The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition)

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

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Aviva Lauer is the Director of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators. She majored in Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, and earned a Master’s degree in Midrash at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. Aviva is a Jewish educator with 25 years of experience in curriculum development, classroom teaching, school administration and educational consulting. Upon making Aliyah in 1996, Aviva developed formal and informal educational materials for Melitz and at the Leo Baeck Education Center, where she also gained experience in teaching pluralistic Judaism. She then served as the head of the department of Jewish Studies at Immanuel College, London. Working at the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators since 2009, Aviva has been a teaching coach, director of recruitment, director of the Summer Curriculum Workshop, and Assistant Director of PCJE before taking on her current role in 2017.

Gems:

Reveal reasons for particular pasuk you like.
Share your true self with your students that includes your passion, and an experience in your life and use that as the hook of starting a lesson.
Be forthright with talking about G-d/Hashem.
Tap into bringing G-d into your life.
The earlier you start talking about G-d, the easier it is for when people get older.
Chinuch is meaning-mining which is diving deep into the text and pulling it out.
Walk alongside your students.
Learn to see the text as if you’re seeing it with new eyes.
Trust the process.
The more you learn Torah, the more that you will know.
Set yourself up for success by putting in the work at the right time.
Our rituals serve us in so many different ways.

Book: In God's Name by Sandy Eissenberg Sasso

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Rabbi Rick Schindelheim has taught Jewish History, Tanakh and Talmud at the Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland, OH since 2013. He currently serves as the chair of the Talmud Department and is the Upper School Judaic Studies Coordinator. His informal educational experience includes over a decade of work at Camp Stone in a variety of capacities. After studying in Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel for three years, Rick earned his B.A. in psychology from Yeshiva College and studied at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (REITS). He is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and earned his Masters and Education Specialist degrees at John Carroll University in Cleveland.

Gems:

Keep education at the forefront.
Learning is for everyone.
Quote from Rav Soloveitchik- Judaism is first a discipline then a romance.
Share with children the gratitude that we get to have a relationship with G-d.
Hashem wants to hear our tefillot.
Knowledge must play a central role in teaching Torah.
We need to merge the knowledge and experiential.
Torah is the what, Avodah is how are we teaching it, and gemilut chasidim is the who is teaching.
Meet with your students outside of the classroom.
Support your students in their extracurricular activities.
Show your students that you genuinely care about them.
We need to talk about how great it is to be a teacher.
Chinuch is taking something that already exists and prepare it for its future.
Look at each child and draw out the greatness within.
Keep your purpose at the forefront of teaching.
Teaching is great because it matters every day and teaching is hard because matters every day.
Continue learning.
Don’t take things personally, it’s not about you.
We need great teachers who know how to use excellent pedagogy, who understand kids, and create meaningful relationships with their students.

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Rabbi Mark Trencher is the president of Nishma Research, which has been studying the Orthodox Jewish Community since 2015. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, but considers himself a “Brooklyn Boy,” having grown up in the very first chasidish shtiebel in Flatbush. He received semicha from RJJ (the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School), taught in three Orthodox day schools and three universities. He also has served as president of a shul, a day school, a kashrut organization and as a Jewish film festival chair, and is currently on the board of directors of the National Council of Young Israel. Upon his retirement in 2015, he founded Nishma Research as a resource for the Orthodox community. He has conducted 13 broad Orthodox community studies dealing with a wide range of issues of importance to Orthodoxy, as well as 17 proprietary studies for Orthodox institutions, including schools. He also hosts the Orthonomics Podcast.

Gems:

Listen to what people say and then act upon it.
Keep the issues at the forefront.
Open-ended questions allow people to give a ful detailed answer.
It is critically important to ask the right questions.
Every child is different.
Parents need to do what is best for their child.
Instill fundmental beliefs in children.
Train teachers to listen to questions and engage students in conversations.
Teach students in an engaging and respectful way.
People are thirsting for knowledge.
Teach students the things they need to know while also explaining why we believe what we believe.

Nishma Resarch- https://nishmaresearch.com/

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Michelle Farbman is the Dean of Students at Shulamith school for girls in Long Island, NY. She began teaching in 2008 at YCQ in NY. She was a morah there for 6 years and continued on to the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY where she was a morah and became director of Middle school girls. After being there for 7 years, Michelle came to Shulamith as a new administrator. She received her Bachelors in education from Stern college, a masters in education from Queens college, and completed the YU leadership program.

Gems:

As a new educator, take advantage of the opportunity to be out in the field, learning while teaching.
Veteran teachers should mentor and guide new teachers.
Join with other educators who support each other.
Learn ways to bring that excitement of Torah and classroom management all into one.
Appreciate the privilege that you get to teach others about Hashem and Torah.
Feed off your students.
Encourage students to think about how they can develop their own relationship with Hashem.
Connect with your students.
Help students understand what they’re learning and how to apply it to their own lives.
We are preparing our children to live their lives as Jews.
Prepare students to take ownership of who they are.
Teach them why we do what we do.
Teach them respect for Hashem, Torah, and the shul.
Show them that there is nothing we can do that will prevent us from returning to Hashem.
Each child must be taught in their own way.
Ask for help.
Support our teachers.
Teach children resilience.
Don’t give up!

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Rabbi Mitchell Rocklin is the academic director and dean of the Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education. His prior work on Jewish Classical Education as a research fellow with Tikvah was featured in the Wall Street Journal. He received his PhD in history from the CUNY Graduate Center, held postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton University and Yeshiva University, and taught at both CUNY and Princeton. He is also a chaplain in the Army National Guard with the rank of Major. Rabbi Rocklin is also the president of the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, as well as a member of the Rabbinical Council of America’s Executive Committee and Military Chaplaincy Committee. Prior to his work at Tikvah, he served as a congregational rabbi in Connecticut. His writings have been featured in publications including The Los Angeles Times, National Review Online, The Daily Wire, The Forward, The Public Discourse, and Mosaic.

Gems:

Learn about what will stick with your students.
Recover the sense of culture.
Incorporate culture while maintaining our own uniqueness.
Learn about what makes up culture in its entirety.
Judaism has had a profound impact on culture.
We are not only part of Western civilization, but also responsible for the transformation of it.
We need to understand civilization and the impact Jews have had on it.
Our spiritual life should be inspiring.
Learn TanaH thoroughly.
Teach students how to read the text.
Raise your expectations of what students can handle.
Incorporate Hebrew from an early age.
Figure out how to inspire your students.
Help students learn about their place within our civilization.
Education is the raising and instruction of children in which we pass on culture.
Learn as we teach.
We are conveying a living tradition.
Teach them things that they ought to know while inspiring them to want to learn more.
Prepare the knowledge base that students can build upon.

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Naomi Hollander grew up in Brookline, MA. She attended Maimonides school through 12th grade. She then attended michlalah in Yerushalayim and then got her BA from Stern College in NY. She worked at Manhattan Day School and Yeshiva of Central Queens and now has been at Shulamith School for Girls for the past 16 years teaching second grade Judaic studies.

Gems:

Find another educator you can emulate.
We can also become the educator that others will want to emulate.
Explain how we create things versus how Hashem creates things.
Be honest with your children/students.
Children need to see and experience things Jewishly at school and at home.
Try to find new ways to keep your students engaged.
Certain things must be taught in a traditional way.
Inspire your students to want to learn Torah.
Teach your students to love Israel- the land and history.
When you teach Torah, it’s a time to connect with your students.
Instill the love for Judaism and show your students how special it is.
Each child learns in their own unique way.
All of us have been given special talents from Hashem to share with the world.
Don’t lose track of your purpose.
Build that connection.
They’re going to remember that connection they had with you.

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Esty Freund is an educator with over a decade of experience in Kiruv and she is closing in on her eighth year in Jewish education. She has dedicated herself to teaching the next generation of Jewish women and mothers. Her career has taken her from serving as an assistant and teacher at HALB, (The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY) to teaching for CAHAL, (Communities Acting to Heighten Awareness and Learning), geared towards children with learning differences, and now at Shulamith, also in NY. Throughout these roles, Esty has consistently focused on nurturing and inspiring her students to develop a deep love and trust in Hashem. With a
Master's degree in both special and general education, as well as training in
the Nurtured Heart Approach, she has developed a unique skill set that enables her
to effectively reach and support diverse learners. Esty has a passion for
Jewish education and a commitment to ongoing learning and growth which has
earned her a reputation as a highly regarded educator within the Jewish
education community.

Gems:

Be grateful for the opportunity to teach.
Share your excitement with your students.
We are teaching the next generation of Jews.
Be Ok with admitting when you don’t have the answer.
Encourage children to ask questions.
Bring Hashem into everything.
The Torah is our manual for life.
Every child needs something different, take the time to find out their needs.
Teach children to know themselves, think for themselves, and guide them to deal with their own problems.
Each person has their own path and mission and their own way of learning.
Learn to work with what you have.
It’s not always about the quantity of information you’re giving over to your students.
You’re teaching people, not material.
Be flexible.
Include peer-to-peer learning and find other ways to assess how children are learning.

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Rabbi Chaim Jachter is a prominent rabbi who serves as the rabbi at Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, NJ and is a popular Torah teacher at the Torah Academy of Bergen County, NJ. He also serves as a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth, NJ and has acquired an international reputation of excellence in the area of Get administration. He has authored fifteen books on issues ranging from contemporary Halacha, Tanach, Aggada, and Jewish Thought. His weekly columns are available at www.koltorah.org, www.yutorah.org, and www.jewishlink.news and are read by thousands worldwide. He is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America’s Halacha Committee and chairs its Igun resolution committee. Rabbi Jachter lectures worldwide on subjects of vital concern to the Jewish community. He is also called upon by over seventy communities throughout North America to assist in constructing, expanding, and maintaining their Eruvin.

Gems:

Learn your style of teaching.
Aim to be the best you can be.
Be flexible.
Find out what is needed.
Speak about Hashem all the time.
If you have are curious and have a sense of involvement you can teach.
Giving over information is not the answer.
Inspire the students to want to learn more.
Make learning appealing and enjoyable.
Parents must also take interest in their child’s education.
Share your energy.
Once you learn, teach because you’ll gain as much from teaching.
Keep up with what your students are interested in.
Find a point of connection.
Think about the privilege to teach Torah.
Watch master educators and find what works for you.

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Rabba Daniella Pressner is Head of School at the Akiva School in Nashville, TN. Born in Jerusalem, and raised in Chicago, Daniella received her BA from Barnard College in Religion and Dance and her MA from Vanderbilt University in Jewish Studies. She has studied at Drisha, Pardes, the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was awarded a prestigious DSLTI fellowship for future leaders of Jewish Day schools. Daniella currently serves on the Board of the Jewish Middle School in Nashville. She has taught nationally on curricular design & implementation, teacher/child support and differentiation, and children and spirituality. Daniella received ordination from Yeshivat Maharat as a member of their Advanced Kollel Executive Track.

Never let adversity stop you.
Learn to appreciate our bodies and all of the gifts we have.
Explore the texts to find the depth and meaning of the Torah.
Encourage and inspire your students to learn and to push themselves.
Find out what each student needs.
Listen to what students have to say.
Open up the space for children to share.
Think about what tools you wish to give to students throughout the various stages of their lives.
Encourage students to ask questions.
Think long term- what do we want for our students for the future?
Help bring out the gifts within each student.
Think about what you need to be the best version of yourself.
Always continue learning.
Realize that what we’re doing is important for our children’s future.
Think about what you can do with what you have.

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Rabbi Avery Joel has been at the Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland, OH since 2008 as a teacher, the Principal of the Stark High School, and now as the Head of School. Prior to moving to Cleveland, Rabbi Joel served as a teacher and grade coordinator in the Ramaz Upper School in NY and was heavily involved in camps and other experiential education settings. Following two years of studying Torah at Yeshiva Sha'alvim in Israel, Rabbi Joel received his BA in Economics, MA in Jewish Education, Doctorate in Educational Administration, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. Rabbi Joel also received an MPA from New York University. Rabbi Joel, and his family love being a part of the Fuchs Mizrachi community.

Gems:
Find out where you enjoy spending your time and what will enhance your strengths.
The teacher/student relationship is critical to the growth of students.
Work on your Middot also.
Be flexible.
Students need one on one connection.
Be mindful of how we conduct ourselves.
Admit when you make a mistake.
Allow students to reflect on how G-d and Torah relates to them and their lives in a developmentally appropriate way.
The values and culture of the school must start at the top with the Head of School and down to the students.
There must be a partnership between school and home.
Find ways to show students how they can impact the Jewish communities.
Inspire the next generation and give them the tools and empower them to be committed Jews who will live a meaningful life and have a relationship with Hashem.
We are not trying to create children who grow into adults who are all the same.
Give each student what they need.
Find the moments of inspiration for yourself.
Our job is to plant seeds.
Learn by observing other educators.
Be a life-long learner.
Celebrate our educators and the life they are committing to.

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Orit Lasser was born in Israel but spent her teenage years with her family in New Jersey, where she attended Bruriah High School. She has a first degree in Education with focus on Tanakh and Oral Law, and a second degree in NPO Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She learned for three years in Midreshet Lindenbaum and in various different frameworks and Beit Midrash programs. Orit has worked in both formal and informal education in various different roles; as a Judaic Studies teacher and class teacher, and as the founder and principal of the Be’er Mamad Elementary school in Jerusalem for three years. She worked for the Bat Ami National Service organization; as the Education Director of the Nemanei Torah V’Avodah; for the IDF Nativ conversion program; and for the Gesher organization on a community project in partnership with the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs. For 9 years before joining Herzog College, she worked for the Jewish Agency in their partnerships department and as content manager for the Shlichut (emissaries) department. Orit is responsible for developing a new Tanakh curriculum together with UnitEd at Herzog College.

*Orit would like to dedicate this interview to her grandmother, - דינה בת ברכה Mrs. Daphne Josman, zichrona l’vracha. She was born, raised, and married in South Africa, and made Aliya to Israel when she was 50 years old. All of her family came along and moved to Israel and most of the third generation were lucky to grow up in Israel. Orit feels that so much of who I am, is because of her, and in her light.

Gems:

Involve yourself in a community.
Teach students to love Torah.
If you can explain concepts to children, then you know you understand it yourself.
Give room for your students to discover big ideas.
Allow students to express their ideas.
Encourage students to ask questions.
Students enjoy leading others.
Torah must be alive within the home.
Show children how the Torah is relevant within our lives.
Learning Torah is done with joy and love.
Create opportunities for experiential learning.
Include families in learning as much as possible.
Education is finding what’s special deep inside each student and brining it out.
Help the student take out all of the things he’s been given by G-d and help him use it for his ultimate purpose.
The classroom should be interactive with students learning on their own in a creative way.
Use technology but build another level of understanding and dialogue with technology.
With education, the more you give, the more you get.
As a new educator, the beginning is very tough, but stick with it.
It takes time to figure out what works for you.
Once you havea real connection with your students it makes a difference.
Everything that goes to our mind goes to our hearts first.
Our Torah teaches us about life.
It never goes out of style.

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Slovie Jungreis Wolff is a noted teacher, author, relationships and parenting lecturer. She is the leader of Hineni Couples and daughter of Rebbetzen Esther Jungreis. Slovie is the author of the parenting handbook, Raising A Child With Soul. She gives weekly classes and has lectured throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Panama, and South Africa. You can reach slovie at sloviehineni@gmail.com.

Gems:

Enjoy the beauty of Shabbat to reconnect with what’s important.
Never lose your emuna and kindness.
It’s not just about education, it’s about connection.
Children must have a connection to G-d and also with family.
Give children an awareness that they are connection to Hashem by telling them that Hashem loves them.
Teach children where their blessings come from.
Allow your children to grow along with you.
The Tefillot we say with our children and connection we help them build with Hashem stays with them.
We want our children to turn to us for love.
Put a lot of effort into building connection with children.
The Torah has every answer we need for life.
Every child must have a sense of mission and knowledge of what makes them unique.
Our children need spiritual identity and pride that comes from the Torah.
Talk to Hashem.
See the spark inside and ignite the passion for Judaism within each person.
Never give up on a Jewish soul.
We’re not here to judge, we’re here to love.
Build a strong enough connection so that we will survive and thrive through the difficulties.
Learn to ask what the purpose is for the challenge you’re going through.
Teach children to be kind to others and to honor themselves.
Educate your child so that they can become the person they are meant to be.
Every child has a unique way that you connect with them.
When you feel passionate about what you teach, you want to keep doing and giving.
Hashem created each of us for a purpose.
Believe in yourself!
Never give up on a child.
Accept a child and expect more.
Children must be connected to Hashem, to their families, and Eretz Yisrael.
Show children that they are a priority in your life.
Show your child that you’re happy to have him or her in your life.
Torah is in everything we do.

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Raising a Child with Soul: How Time-Tested Jewish Wisdom Can Shape Your Child's Character

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In this episode we take a visit down memory lane and feature highlights from our top ten most popular interviews.

Rabbi Elazar Grossman: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/9122149-learning-to-engage-students-intellectually-and-emotionally-with-rabbi-elazar-grossman

Rabbi Gil Perl: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/9096009-figuring-out-the-bigger-picture-with-education-with-rabbi-gil-perl

Rabbi Moshe Yosef Gewirtz: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/6799222-teaching-students-not-subjects-with-rabbi-moshe-yosef-gewirtz

Danit Schusterman: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/8857156-learning-to-meet-our-students-where-they-are-with-jewish-homeschool-blog-founder-danit-schusterman

Rabbi David Wolpe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/10687470-education-that-changes-us-from-the-inside-out-with-rabbi-david-wolpe

Ruchi Koval: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/9964418-constructing-the-soul-with-ruchi-koval

Rabbi Gamliel Respes:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/6714697-telling-a-story-with-rabbi-gamliel-respes

Daniella Quinn: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/10523485-lessons-from-a-new-educator-with-daniella-quinn

Onit Zisserman: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/10274619-creating-a-holistic-learning-approach-with-onit-zisserman

Batsheva Frankel: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/stats/episodes/11365286-bringing-creativity-to-learning-with-batsheva-frankel

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Rabbi Menachem Leibtag is the founder of the Tanach Study Center www.tanach.org. He is an internationally acclaimed bible scholar and pioneer of Jewish Education on the internet. Rabbi Leibtag teaches at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel. He is best known for his ability to teach students how to study Tanach. Rabbi Leibtag also teaches at Matan, Midreshet Lindenbaum, & Yeshivat Shaalavim; and routinely lectures around the globe, primarily as a Scholar in Residence in communities in North America.

Gems:

Gap program shapes the community.
Give students the tools to take ownership of their learning.
Teach students how to think on their own.
Education is getting something ready for use.
The child has the potential to be a living human being, and we’re preparing them for a meaningful life as adults.
Being Jewish is walking with G-d.
We’re teaching children how to walk with G-d.
Answer the child, not just the question.
Teach a child according to their strengths and abilities.
Education happens when people are eager to learn.
Make your classroom interactive.
You must enjoy teaching.
Encourage students to learn to figure things out.

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Shaindel Hecht, is a shluchah to the University of Connecticut along with her husband since 2005. She has been an early childhood educator at the Hebrew Academy now known as New England Hebrew Academy for close to 17 years. She brings her creativity to life inside her Reggio inspired classroom.

Gems:

Find ways to point out the gifts of each student.
Show Hashem’s presence with all that we do.
Help students turn outside challenges into fuel to show their pride in being Jewish.
Closeness and love are a lot more effective than fear and intimidation.
Reward good behavior.
Meet the student on their level.
Focus on the positivity and warmth.
Teachers have the power to build or crush.
Students will live up to your expectations.
Engage every child in their own way.
Give students opportunities to show their creativity.
Must have a love for giving to someone else’s child.
It takes time to become a good teacher.
Find a mentor who can help guide you.
Make learning as hands on as possible.

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Chedvi and Miri the sisters behind Alef Bet Sensory. They believe children learn best by a multi-sensory approach to learning. Their tactile Alef - Bet products provide a multi-sensory way for the little ones to learn about the Alef - Bet.

Gems:

Allow children to learn and explore materials through play.
Live with Judaism.
Education is something that we have to do.
Model the behavior we want our students to follow.
We are the guides.
Teacher-led learning, child exploration.
Create an environment which makes the child curious.
Teach through all of the senses.
Incorporate different modalities in the classroom.
Have fun!
Live what you teach.
Surround child with experiences.
Celebrate the small things they do.
They joy of learning is more important than the content.

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Nechama Liba Backer expressed interest in Judaic studies, art, and working with people from a young age and has been involved ever since! She earned an Associates Degree in Fine Arts and a Bachelors in Judaic Studies after attending two years in seminary in Jerusalem, where she received a teachers certification. After teaching art for years privately and in several institutions in Baltimore, MD, Nechama Liba fulfilled her dream of moving to Israel where she currently resides. She now teaches Judaics and art mainly online to students of all ages and stages. Her philosophy is that learning, especially Torah, should be an experience of joy and connection. She uses body movement, art, dialogue, music, and journaling as channels to accomplish this goal.

Gems:

Connect with the child creativity within.
Build a relationship with your students.
Learn what appeals to each age group and each individual.
The more you communicate with Hashem, the more comfortable you will feel doing it.
Realize that we are part of the divine chain.
Make Hashem and Judaism a reality in our lives.
Familiarize students with the text.
Education is a constant sharing back and forth between students and teacher.
Every person is their own universe.
Meet students where they are.
Give students the respect they deserve.
Incorporate different modalities in the classroom.
Give over teaching in a clear and concise way.
Be kind to yourself.
Find a good mentor.
Merge giving the content to students with your love and passion.

https://nechamalbacker.wixsite.com/nechamabackerart

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Rabbi Daniel Korobkin is the Mara D’Atra of the BAYT (Beth Avraham Yosef of Toronto) in Thornhill, Ontari,o Canada, and honorary president of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA).

Gems:

Inspiring teachers can help inspire their students.
Look for opportunities to help people grow spiritually.
G-d is the background of everything a Jewish educator has to discuss.
It’s important to have clarity with what you believe.
You don’t have to have all of the answers.
Allow students to question.
Education is the process whereby a student enhances their consciousness, and a teacher enhances their consciousness.
There is a limit to understanding reality based on what our senses tell us.
There is always more to learn.
It is crucial to engage with our imagination.
Understand that responsibility you have as an educator.
You are the proud and the few who have chosen to light a fire within Jewish souls.
Try to never lose your idealism.
You are doing G-d’s holy work.

https://www.bayt.ca/

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Goldie Plotkin, a native New Yorker, is a Rebbetzin and Shlucha (Chabad emissary) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Together with her husband, Rabbi Avrohom Plotkin, they run a vibrant and successful Synagogue and Chabad House. She has been the director of Torah Tots preschool for 35 years and is the Executive Director of Tamim Academy. Goldie presented the Keynote address at the Chabad Annual convention in NYC, the largest gathering of Jewish Women in the world. Goldie was also invited to address the Knesset on matters of Marriage Enrichment and coaching young couples in Israel. Goldie sits on the board of the International Shluchos Convention. Goldie is on the Shluchos board since 1990 to coordinate the Kinus Hashluchos convention. Goldie has also been a presenter at the JLI Retreats held every summer for over 1,200 people. As a highly sought-after motivational speaker and lecturer, Goldie travels the world to motivate, inspire and share the joy of marriage, relationships, parenting and the beauty of our Jewish traditions.

Gems:

Every Jew is loved, accepted, and welcomed.
Labels are for clothing, not for Jews.
Learn to see the wholesomeness and G-dliness in each human being.
Each one of us has to celebrate who we are.
Children are innately spiritual.
Children naturally want to grow in their Yiddishkeit.
Figure out what resonates with your students.
Use all of the senses with teaching.
When teachers internalize their own learning and teach with passion, students will be inspired to learn also.
Look for those chinuch moments.
Home and school must be on the same page.
Bring Torah into your own life.
Find a mentor.
Be open to new things.
Lead by example.
Jewish education needs the support of the whole community.

https://tamimacademy.org/

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Rabbi Howard Finkelstein is the former rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beit Tikvah, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He was the founding rabbi and Judaic principal of Yitzhak Rabin High School (full day school high school) Ottawa, Ontario. He is also the Jewish Studies Head Emeritus of the Ottawa Jewish Community School. Rabbi Finkelstein earned a B.A. in Political Science, M.S. in Jewish Secondary Education and his Semicha from Yeshiva University. He earned a secondary Master’s in Education from NYU. He has a certificate of educational leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard University. He is the winner of the Steinhardt Grinspoon Award for Jewish Education. Rabbi Finkelstein is also a licensed teacher and principal from Board of Jewish Education- New York City.

Gems:

Create an opportunity for children to learn and relate to G-d through the Torah text.
Concentrate on what G-d expects from us.
Allow students to question.
Enable students to see relevancy in the texts.
Explore ways that the texts connect with situations in their lives.
We have a responsibility to educate a child according to his/her way.
Show students the sources, discuss, and analyze.
Challenge your students’ minds.
Are students thinking for themselves?
The teacher is the role model that students will want to emulate.
Education is an ongoing process and must consider whether the student has learned.
Jewish education never ends.
There must be a collaboration between home, schools, and synagogues.
Continue to study, improve, and grow, and remember what the main goal of education.
We have the ability to save Jewish lives!
Examine what happens every day and work through what went right and what went wrong.
Spread the knowledge of Torah.

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Nechamy Segal is the Founder and Lead English & Hebrew Specialist of Scenic Route Literacy and Hebrew Scouts. Drawing on her experiences and professional training as a classroom teacher, special education coordinator, clinical interventionist, graduate-level professor of reading, and mom of six, Nechamy provides a perfect blend of academic structure with a nurturing sensitivity.

Nechamy loves long nature walks in Prospect Park (the source of inspiration for the name Scenic Route Literacy). She is passionate about reading and literacy, and her idea of bliss is when there’s a book in everyone’s hand.

Gems:

Never feel like you’re done learning your craft.
The way we learn English is similar to how children also learn Hebrew: through hearing and speaking first.
Your struggles can be the door for helping your students.
Find out how to develop the emotional and spiritual connection to Torah and Hashem.
Teach children that the Torah is in Lashon HaKodesh (holy language), and we learn it step-by-step.
Integrate Hebrew vocabulary into teaching about the Parsha.
Children are born with an internal compass and sense of why they’re here.
Provide children with the rich environment to explore.
Create real life experiences so that children become intrinsically motivated.
The more you’re learning, the happier you’ll be, and the better you’ll teach.
Stretch yourself.
Lamed is the tallest letter, like a teacher.
Give your students the tools for them to learn.

https://hebrewscouts.com/

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Batsheva Frankel worked in the film industry for many years but decided to leave it for a more meaningful career in education. Using her creativity, she taught in various school settings, and is now an educational consultant. Batsheva teaches professional development workshops and courses through New Lens Ed. She has a Masters of Arts in Teaching from The American Jewish University and a Bachelor’s Degree in drama from NYU which prepared her for creating a podcast called Overthrowing Education (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google and other platforms). More recently, Batsheva has partnered with Dr. Sandra Lilienthal and Sari Kopitnikoff (you may listen to each of their interviews featured in previous episodes of our podcast) to create Dor L’Dor Delivery, a Jewish innovative approach to professional development and adult learning.

https://www.newlensed.com
https://dorldordelivery.com/

Gems:

Show students how interactive and amazing education can be.
Use your background to your advantage.
Take big ideas and teach them in a way that’s creative, interactive, and student-centered.
Family education is extremely important.
We never stop learning.
Meet people where they’re at.
Encourage your students to get involved in the conversation about G-d.
Transmit Jewish wisdom and texts to students.
Teach students how think critically and open their minds.
Judaic studies ought to be taught totally differently than secular studies.
Help people find, relevance, meaning, and connection with Jewish wisdom.
Be open to growth.

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Chanie Kirschner is the director of Gesher Judaic Studies Program, an afternoon Judaic studies program for children in grades K-6. She holds a Masters in Jewish Education and has over 20 years of experience both in formal and informal Jewish education. She created Gesher to provide an affordable, yet comprehensive Judaic studies program for elementary-age students not in Jewish day school in Boca Raton, FL. Gesher has now solidified its’ presence in the national Jewish community and has expanded course offerings to meet the needs of more students.

Chanie is passionate about education, bringing Jewish studies to life, and connecting with her students. After teaching in the classroom in Modern Orthodox day schools in New Jersey and in Florida for many years, she and her husband decided to homeschool their 4 children, and appreciates the opportunity to do so and still be able to educate other Jewish children as well. You can find out more info about Gesher at www.gesherprogram.com and read her blog about homeschooling at www.mamaneedsrecess.com.

Gems:

Pay attention to the needs of your students.
The days are long, but the years are very short.
Homeschool is like tutoring which is one-on-one education for your children.
Never take time for granted.
You don’t have to be a teacher to homeschool.
We learn from our students while they learn from us.
Education is a life-long endeavor.
We are teachers, but also students.
There are opportunities for education all around.
Bridge the connection between what children are learning and make it personal for them.
Make Torah personal and come alive for yourself and your students.
Talk about G-d/Hashem every day.
Don’t give up!
The core of Jewish living is at home.

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Sara Stave Beckerman is a Jewish educator, curriculum writer and consultant. Educated and inspired by her studies at JTS's Davidson School of Jewish Education, Sara earned her MA in Jewish Studies with a concentration in informal Education in 2004. She has been making an impact in the world of Hebrew schools and Jewish camps for over 20 years, serving as teacher, edTech consultant and Rosh Hinuch at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. Sara has taught in the day school setting for 18 years, focusing most recently on Rabbinic texts, Tefillah and Israel Advocacy. She is also the founder and CEO of Sababa Books, a company that creates, publishes and sells creative Iyun Tefillah materials to schools and camps. Sara is currently serving in 2 roles- teacher at the Schechter School of Long Island and Director of Hebrew Home Page, an online tutoring program under the auspices of the JCC of Manhattan's Jewish Journey Project.

Gems:

Inspire your students to do their own personal Tefillah (prayer).
Everything is the classroom.
Capture the special moments with your students.
Children shift their learning from the concrete to abstract.
Be open to the students’ visions and concepts.
Help students understand that G-d is making the world work.
Help students connect with G-d.
Create a safe space to talk about G-d.
Share the big ideas of Torah.
The goal is to help students understand the big ideas and how they relate to life.
Each student is a work in progress.
Home and school need to be in sync.
Take time to learn.

https://www.sabababooks.com/

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Dr. Sandra Lilienthal is a sought-after speaker who is known for drawing adult audiences into the relevant wisdom and inspiring potential of Jewish texts. Born and raised in Brazil, and currently residing in Florida, Dr. Lilienthal has taught diverse audiences all over the world. She is a faculty member of the Hebrew University's Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, an adjunct professor at Gratz College, and a member of JNF's Speakers Bureau. Dr. Lilienthal has served as the Education Director of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's Global Day of Jewish Learning, and she is on the boards of Limmud North America and NewCAJE. She was the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. Dr. Lilienthal is the author of the Living Wisdom and the Pillars of Judaism series of curricula for adults. Throughout her career, she has worked in every capacity of Jewish education and with every age, from Religious School teacher, to B’ Mitzvah tutor, to Director of Education and Director of Lifelong Learning. Since 2005, her focus has been teaching adults. Dr. Lilienthal has partnered with two other Jewish educators to create Dor L’Dor Delivery, which offers learning opportunities for both Jewish educators and adult learners.

Gems:

When you’re teaching, you’re inspiring through the heart, not through the intellect.
Education is opening pathways to connection.
Know your limits.
Reframe their vision of G-d.
Encourage your students to begin their journey of coming closer to G-d.
Talk to G-d.
Begin with the Torah text because it is our foundation.
Encourage your students to think.
There is something there that speaks to them.
Torah is for all of us!
It is our responsibility to show Judaism as it actually is.
Our life experiences help us interpret the text.
Be comfortable with not knowing everything.
Successful Jewish education is when your students come to you with life questions.
Search for educators who have been in the field.
Continue learning.
Family education is very important.
Be open to share everything that you have.
Encourage your students to explore more.

Websites: Dr. Sandra Lilienthal
Dor L'Dor Delivery

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Rabbi Aaron Frank who comes from a family of educators, is currently Head of School at the Kinneret Day School in Riverdale, NY.Prior to coming to Kinneret, Rabbi Frank was the Associate Principal at SAR High School. Before moving to New York, he worked at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore, MD for twelve years, serving as Lower School and then as High School Principal. A graduate of the Jerusalem Fellows program at the Mandel Leadership Institute in Jerusalem as well as of the Principals’ Center at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Rabbi Frank serves on the board of the International Rabbinic Fellowship and on the Rabbinic Advisory Board of Yeshivat Maharat.

He served as Associate Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale under the mentorship of Rabbi Avi Weiss from 1996 until 2000 and was a founding member of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Baltimore.

Gems:

Just be yourself.
Hold yourself to high standards.
Find mentors.
Be honest and real.
The human desire to make meaning of life is timeless.
Increase the spiritual thirst of your students.
Torah is the way to find meaning in life.
Education gives you the path.
Educators make a difference.

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Sarah Rudolph is a freelance educator, writer, and editor with a passion for learning and sharing Torah. Among other things, she directs Torah Tutors and serves on the editorial committee of Tradition, an Orthodox Jewish academic journal. Sarah is privileged to learn with students all over the world.

Gems:

Develop as a learner yourself.
Focus on who you can help.
Spend time observing other classes.
There’s a lot you can do with students of different ages if you frame it right.
Help your students develop a deeper appreciation for diving into Torah texts.
Education must be individualized according to the student.
Help your students find ways to connect with Torah.
Get your students involved in the learning process.
Remember you’re making an impact.
Become an educator only if you really love it.
Look for a school where you will be supported.
Build a culture of learners.

www.TorahTutors.org

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Rabbi Jonny Solomon is an educator, scholar, editor, and “Virtual Rabbi” who provides online spiritual coaching, Halachic consultations, and one-to-one learning for those who need a Rabbi.

Gems:

Through the art of teaching, we can change lives!
Teachers who invest time in trying to educate as best as they can, will change their own lives as well.
Teachers need teachers.
Important to have someone who is a Rabbinic influence in addition to teachers.
Teachers are there to push you in the way you should be going.
Our relationship with G-d is personal and emotional.
Speak about your own relationship with G-d.
Education is a dedication to help people who are unfamiliar with a series of ideas develop a connection to those ideas and explore them further.
It’s important to be passionate about what you’re teaching.
We need to teach our students how to survive Jewishly.
Be clear about what is the learning outcome.
Teach students that the Torah is theirs.
The Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora need to learn from each other.
Education matters!
When teachers forget, students don’t.
Educators can shape lives or break lives.
Being a real teacher means bringing your whole self.
We can grow through learning.
Education is a work of heart.
What you do matters.
Teach from a place of knowledge, not fear.
Education is figuring out how to make facts meaningful.

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Marie Rosenthal is passionate about helping parents choose and find the best path for their children's education that helps create a happy, healthy creative child and a calm confident parent. After more than 20 years as a homeschool mom and teaching at informal day schools and afterschool programs she now offers consulting services and tutoring. Morah Marie offers private or group zoom sessions and in person sessions when feasible. She has training and experience in special education and currently works as a Kriah specialist in a local school. Morah Marie also offers free half hour Consulting sessions.

Gems:

Each child is their own person with their own way of thinking.
Evolve your teaching to each students’ needs.
We are creating young Jewish people who will become adults.
The question is what does this child need to learn to be a happy, educated Jewish child?
Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
Our students have to know that we care about our Jewishness.
Connect every lesson to our students’ lives.
Important to teach about G-d in an honest and developmentally appropriate way.
Once a child is able to understand things that are abstract, dive into deeper discussions.
Don’t teach what your child will have to unlearn later.
Shy away from things that cause stress for children.
Incorporate Hebrew words in your speech.
Use your time efficiently.
What are the most important things for our students to learn to be a proud, connected Jew.
Education is a learning process.
Look at the big picture.
Continue learning and growing.
Take care of yourself also.

Contact Marie: morahmarie@gmail.com

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Rabbi Dovid Osofsky is born and raised in Baltimore, MD. He is currently Second Grade Assistant rebbe in Ohr Chadash Academy, Baltimore, MD. He attended Mechinas Ner Yisroel for high school and Yehshivas Meor Yitzchok in Monsey for 3 years after high school. He has tutored elementary school, middle school and high school boys for several years, some of whom have been diagnosed with disabilities including ADHD/ADD, language processing disorders as well as one student with Down's Syndrome. Rabbi Osofsky shadowed and privately taught a high-schooler with physical and learning disabilities for two years. He also founded a groundbreaking program to teach adult Baalei Teshuva the skills to read and translate chumash and the siddur independently. Rabbi Osofsky is working to develop and expand this program.

Gems:

Observe other educators.
Find your niche in education.
Be flexible.
Allow your students to take charge of their education.
Each student is their own person.
Be genuine about your relationship with G-d.
Children really see their teachers as role models.
Share only what you know.
Each child has the responsibility to become the best person that G-d made them to be.
Learn by experience.
Be authentic and real.
Take advantage of the resources that are available.
Learning should become alive.
Find a mentor.
Continue reading.
Focus on your successes.
Start working in small groups.

Contact Rabbi Osofsky: dcosofsky@gmail.com or Cell: 443-415-7905

Today You Will Learn by Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg

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Melissa Perl is the Assistant Principal at Katz Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton, FL. Prior to that she was the Director of Limudei Kodesh at Kohelet Yeshiva High School and the PK-12th grade Assistant Principal at the Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis, TN. Melissa earned her Bachelor's degree from Stern College for Women in both Judaic Studies and Psychology, she holds a Master’s Degree in Bible from Yeshiva University, certificates in Teacher Mentoring, Student Support, Differentiated Instruction, and Educational Technology, and has completed all but her dissertation for her Doctorate of Education.

Gems:

Don’t be afraid to alter your path.
Recognize your strengths.
We have the power to effect change in the world.
When we look at the text of Torah and try to discover the themes and big ideas that’s when we can relate on a deep, meaningful, and personal way.
Begin with the end in mind.
Make the most of the time you have.
The more we are learning, our students will see that.
We give our students a sense of calm when we admit that there are things we don’t understand.
G-d is the foundation of everything.
Education is about giving students the tools of self-discovery.
To really connect to Torah requires some discomfort, stillness, and requires delayed gratification.
Shabbat is a window into what spirituality can be.
There is wisdom in Judaism.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Education is a process.
Be willing to grow and learn about people.
Find a mentor.
The more you’re willing to engage and reflect, the quicker you’ll grow.

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Dr. Zipora Schorr comes from a family of Jewish educators. She is the Director of Education at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore, MD. Prior to coming to Beth Tfiloh, Dr. Schorr was the principal of Beth Shalom Nursery and Hebrew School in Potomac, MD. While serving as principal, Dr. Schorr developed the curriculum and recruited staff and students. She received the 2003 Covenant Foundation Award for Exceptional Jewish Educators, was also named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, and has received the Governor’s Citation in recognition of her life’s work. She was awarded Outstanding Educator in the Diaspora by Michlelet Lifshitz of the Israel Ministry of Education in 2012. She chairs the Baltimore Jewish Day Schools Principals’ Association and is a member of the IAAM Board of Governors. She serves as Treasurer of the Dahan Foundation and has served as a member of the board of The Associated and RAVSAK. Dr. Schorr remains committed to “Klal Yisrael” and works to promote unity among all branches of Judaism.

Gems:

We are contributing to eternity.
Gather small groups to learn together.
Teach your students Bitachon and faith in G-d.
Add a mantra “I love Hashem and Hashem loves me.”
Talk about your relationship with G-d.
Encourage your students to have a personal relationship with G-d.
Model Derech Eretz for your students.
Help Torah speak to students.
Show your students what a privilege and a joy it is to be Jewish.
Sincerity speaks loudly to children.
Help your students grow.
Chinuch is a way of life.
Our role is not just to teach them Torah, but also teach them to be the best they can be.
The moment we stop learning is the moment we stop growing and the moment we stop truly living.
Our job is to foster ongoing connection to Judaism.
We are not just educating children, we’re educating families.
Find a mentor and the right environment that will support you.

Book: Our Morah in Uniform: Biography of Rebbetzin Sara Murik

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Chavi Abramson, born and raised in Baltimore, MD, is a middle school Judaics teacher at Ohr Chadash Academy in Baltimore. She has been in education for 15 years. Chavi has a Masters in Negotiations and Conflict Management. Throughout her career in education, she has taught high school Judaics, kindergarten general studies, and more recently began teaching middle school Judaics. Chavi is involved as a lay leader in Baltimore's Associated and currently CO-chair their Young Leadership Council.

Gems:

Don’t be afraid to teach different grade levels.
Build relationships with your students.
Look for different ways to challenge your brain.
Figure out how to bring Torah to life.
A teacher who has a strong, trusting, and mutually respectful relationship with their students will be able to create a classroom that is conducive to learning.
Learn from the best teachers and use their ideas.
Hold students to very high standards.
Transform your classroom so that it aligns with the standards you’re trying to teach.
Make your classroom more interactive.
Give your students autonomy over their learning.
If we believe in the potential of our students, they will strive to reach that level.
Be willing to change.
Set the tone from the beginning.
Ask questions.
Validate your students.
Highlight the things that are joyful and enjoyable within Judaism.
When we look for Hashem, we’ll see him more.
The little things matter.
Admit when you don’t know the answer.
We’re all on our own journey.
Become a master at what the students are interested in.

https://ronclarkacademy.com/

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Rabbi Evan Weiner is the Judaic Studies Instructional Coach at Ohr Chadash Academy in Baltimore, MD. Rabbi Weiner holds a BA in Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, MO as well as a Masters of Jewish Education from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli School of Jewish Education. He also serves as the Educational Director of NCSY Camp Sports. Through his involvement with JNTP (The Jewish New Teacher Project), he mentors other Jewish educators. In his teaching and his work as educational director, Rabbi Weiner has demonstrated a strong sense of leadership with a track record of inspiring both students and fellow teachers to perform on the highest level.

Gems:

What students are taught and how they’re taught has tremendous impacts on our students’ identity.
Invest in professional growth.
Embrace the challenge and work around it.
There’s more than one way to do things.
Expect the best from your students, but also recognize what they need.
Think deeply about the choices you make as an educator.
Teach your students that we can have a deep relationship with G-d.
Speak about G-d.
Talk about our own relationship with G-d.
Davening/prayer can become a conduit for developing mindfulness and fostering connection with G-d.
Foster a sense of dedication to learning Torah.
The lessons taught will be applied to their lives.
Mentorship is so important.
Find a mentor who can help you explore the things deep inside of you.
Reflect on your experiences.
Every day can be the first day of the rest of the year.
You can always reset.
Remember that we work with other educators and administrators to teach students.
Involve your students.
Foster greater commitment and Jewish identity.
Empower your students the skills to deeply and meaningfully engage with Judaism.

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Rabbi David Wolpe, named The Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by The Jerusalem Post, and twice named one of the 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles Business Journal, is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, CA. Rabbi Wolpe previously taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in NY, the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and UCLA. A weekly columnist for The New York Jewish Week and weekly Torah columnist for The Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Wolpe published and profiled in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, The Atlantic and many more. He has been featured on The Today Show, Face the Nation, ABC This Morning, and CBS This Morning. In addition, Rabbi Wolpe has appeared prominently in series on PBS, A&E, History Channel, and Discovery Channel, and has engaged in widely watched public debates with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker and many others about religion and its place in the world. Rabbi Wolpe, who has spoken in seminars, public and scholarly forums and scholar in residence appearances hundreds of times all over the world from Israel to India, is the author of eight books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times (Riverhead). His new book is titled David, the Divided Heart (Yale U Press). It was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, and has been optioned for a movie by Warner Bros.

Gems:

Most of the things we say in a long compass can be said more briefly and will hold people’s attention more fully.
Speak in about G-d in the language that your students will understand.
G-d is not invisible, G-d is intangible.
Teaching is like being a quarterback, teach a little beyond where they are, so that they have room to grow into the concepts.
In order to convey Jewish concepts authentically, we must speak in our language.
Education is learning that which changes us both inside and outside.
Use history to give us perspective on current events.
Learn with someone else who is honest with you.
Learning involves being pushed and pushing yourself.
While reading books, write inside them.
Books are to be absorbed, to live with and understood.
We all have something to teach.
Give life lessons from the Torah.
Start from where people are.
Make it evident to students how much our tradition has to teach them about their lives?
Effective Jewish leadership helps cultivate Jews.
The more we teach Torah the better it will be.
Think about your blessings.
Be grateful for the life we’ve been given.
You have to love other Jews.

Find home on Facebook or Twitter- @RabbiWolpe.

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Rabbi Meirav Kallush is the Director of Israel Education at Golda Och Academy Day School in West Orange NJ, here she has the privilege of sending the Freshman class to a 10-day visit to Israel and the Senior class to a 3- month walking/hiking trip, allowing them to explore Israeli society. Meirav was ordained in 2014 by the Israeli Rabbinic program at Hebrew Union College Jerusalem. Prior to Rabbinical School she served as a shlicha for the Reform Movement and RSY-Netzer in the UK, she worked as the director of education for the Jewish Agency's young shlichim department and the Amitim Program. Aside from living in New Jerey and London, Meirav lived in Jerusalem, Pittsburgh, Japan and spent most of her childhood on a small Kibbutz called Masu’ot Yitzhak.

Gems:

Enjoy the blessings.
Educators allow learning to be more fluid.
Education is not just about content; it’s giving your students tools they can use for life.
Find ways to reinvent yourself.
Bring G-d into conversations and experiences that we offer to our students.
Where does Hashem become part of your daily life?
Which name do we use to speak about G-d?
Express gratitude.
Education should never end.
Our role as educators is also changing.
Share your own journey.
Embrace the challenges.
There must be a daily encounter with Torah.

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Rabbi Yehoshua Shapiro, born and raised in Baltimore, MD, he is the Associate Principal of Bais Yaakov High School in Baltimore, MD. He followed in his father’s footsteps of becoming an educator. He attended Talmudical Academy of Baltimore [aka Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim-T.A.] for Pre-School thru 12th Grade. Rabbi Shapiro learned in Yeshivat Kol Torah in Jerusalem, Israel, after high school and returned to learn in Ner Israel Rabbinical College for the next nine years, and received his Semicha ordination from the Rosh HaYeshiva, Horav Y.Y. Ruderman zt”l. He earned a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Accounting from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. He also earned a Masters of Education degree from Johns Hopkins University. Rabbi Shapiro taught for 12 years part-time in Beth Tfiloh Day School; he was the 9th Grade Rebbe in YCC-T.A. for nine years. He joined Bais Yaakov High School in September 1991, originally as the Assistant Principal, currently Associate Principal. Rabbi Shapiro and his wife, Sarah Rivkah, have been blessed with a wonderful family. Sara Rivkah, who is also a teacher, has been the director/teacher of her Kinderfun Playgroup for the last nineteen years.

Gems:

Don’t be satisfied with percentage numbers.
Strive to help each student feel comfortable with their religiosity and tradition.
Look at the heart and neshama of your students.
Realize that we aren’t aware of the challenges our students are facing at home.
Meet your students where they are.
Each age bracket offers its own set of challenges, rewards, and excitement.
Education or chinuch is introducing a wide range of interaction with the world around us and how to navigate it.
Education is the learning process of life: training the psyche to formulate good attitudes.
Educators must have a love for the student.
It’s not being aimed at you!
Recognize and remember that we’re doing G-d’s holy work!
Be prepared.
Educators wear many hats.
Encourage students to be there for each other.
Study and learn the Written and Oral law.

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Rabbi Dani Meisels is currently a Rebbi in Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh's Boys High School where he teaches Gemara and Chumash, as well as davening and topics on Jewish philosophy and history. In addition to teaching he works on marketing material for Hillel Academy and runs Hillel's Youth and Parent Education program, also known as HYPE. He has a background in fine art and storyboard illustration and experience in sales having worked in the building industry in Toronto, Canada for almost 8 years. Rabbi Meisels, and his family are always looking for ways to help in their community and to pass on their passion for Torah to all other Jews.

Gems:

Everything that we’ve gone through in the past leads us to where we are now.
Don’t teach, learn it with your students.
Continue learning and share the value of learning.
There’s no separation between our Judaism and the rest of our life.
Find a leader to follow.
Think about how we relate to G-d and the Torah.
Look honestly at whether we are living L’Shem Shamayim (for the sake of heaven).
Anything of meaning in our lives is connected to G-d.
G-d cares about us and wants us to pay attention to every detail.
Learn to shift our focus from the doom and gloom and onto having a relationship with G-d.
Education is an apprenticeship.
Education happens inside and outside of the classroom.
Set expectations but meet your students where they are.
Build a support network.
Dedicate yourself to personal growth.
Recognize that any change comes with discomfort.
Allow your students to invest in their own education.
Give your students the tools to continue grow in their Torah learning.
When we don’t have a love for something, we become indifferent.
We can teach our students how to love G-d and Judaism.

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Daniella Quinn is originally from Houston, Texas. She has experience working with elementary school children through high school students. She has worked as both a camp counselor and has led Shabbos groups. She spent a year after graduation studying in Bnos Avigail Seminary in Yerushalyim. She is currently an assistant in the first grade Judaics class at Ohr Chadash Academy of Baltimore, MD. Daniella is currently studying for a degree in Psychology from Touro University.

Gems:

Learn to reach the students where they are.
Take advantage of the opportunity to learn from them.
Treat your students like they are people.
Share with your students the importance of respect for G-d and respect for educators and fellow students.
Build relationships with your students.
Use your words wisely.
Education is providing students with the skills they’ll need for life.
We must continue to build our relationship skills with others.
Students learn from the way we interact with them.
Set expectations from the beginning.
Be open to advice (be teachable).
Create an environment where educators can learn from one another.
Approach education with them.
Listen to your students.

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Shira Sender is the Director of Client Care and Teacher Support at ShalomLearning. Shira used ShalomLearning in her religious school classroom for many years before officially joining the ShalomLearning team in 2020. For over thirteen years, she has taught students both virtually and in the traditional classroom. Shira grew up in Upstate New York, where she received her BA in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Buffalo. Later, she moved to Chicago, IL where she worked on her MA in Counseling Psychology from the Adler School. She worked for three years as a Crisis Counselor with at-risk youth in Chicago in addition to teaching supplementary Jewish education. In 2018, Shira transitioned to teaching preschoolers in a Jewish Early Childhood Education program while continuing to teach and tutor religious school students.

Gems:

Foster your inner creativity.
Say yes to opportunities because you never know where it will lead.
Continue to add tools to your “toolbox”.
Allow your students to take an active role in their learning.
Encourage questions.
Teach your students how to think.
Be passionate about what you believe in.
Set learning goals for yourself and your students.
Help your students build a connection between their lives and Judaism.
Allow your students to develop their own relationship with G-d.
Provide your students choice.
Prepare, but prepare to be flexible too.
Be kind yet firm.

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Sharly Digadker is currently a Judaics teacher at Farber Hebrew Day School. He graduated from the Polytechnic University in New York with a Master of Science in Management. He received a Bachelor of Education from the “Hachva” College in Israel with a concentration in special education and Hebrew literature. Prior to joining YULA, Sharly was principal of Masoret Yehudit and Judaic Teacher in RASG high school in Miami, FL. Sharly also was the head of Hebrew and Jewish studies in Allentown, PA and Silver Spring, MD. Sharly’s background includes serving as an Assistant Principal in Odessa, Ukraine. He was extremely efficient in implementing study programs for teachers and students. He also organized a “March of the Living” to Poland, plus a two-week journey learning in depth of the Holocaust in the Ukraine. Sharly also spent considerable time in Israel as a Special Education and school counselor. One of his specialties was to advise and help build additional projects. In Ashdod, Sharly was an advisor for teenagers with criminal backgrounds. He structured all of their social and behavioral education. This merited a grant by the government of the social service division. In Beer-Sheva, Sharly was sought out as a consultant to a youth village. There he implemented educational curriculum for children at risk.

Gems:

Learn how to communicate with your students.
Be mindful of how we can impact our students’ lives.
Be open with your students.
Teach your students to see things in the right way.
Ask whether we are teachers or educators?
We’re shaping the character of our students.
Education is not about giving students information.
Always remember why we’re educators.
Show your students that you take Hebrew study seriously.
Learn to think in Hebrew.
Encourage and push your students.
Education is about building relationships with our students.
The goal is not money, it is to teach children.
Be patient.
Always think of ways to improve.
Education is about meeting each student’s strengths.

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Rabbi Yisroel Smith is currently the Assistant Principal for the 5th-12th grade boys at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. Originally from Minneapolis, Rabbi Smith went to WITS in Milwaukee for high school, followed by 2 years in Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in Yerushalayim. He spent the next eight years studying under his Rebbe, Rabbi Shaya Cohen Shlit”a in Yeshiva Zichron Aryeh and Kollel Ner Yehoshua, where he had the privilege of participating in weekly Teacher Training sessions with Rabbi Cohen. While in Yeshiva, he also received his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Touro College and his Master’s degree in Jewish Education and Administration from the Azrieli Graduate School. Rabbi Smith received his Semicha from Rabbi Moshe Heinemann Shlit”a.

Gems:

It’s all about our relationship to Hashem.
Help our students see that the Torah and Mitzvahs maintain our relationship with Hashem.
Hashem loves us more than we can possibly imagine.
Bring Hashem from the subconscious to the conscious.
Bring reinforcement and new ideas together.
Enough small pieces add up to make those connections.
We must give our students the skills and love of Torah learning.
We’re playing the long game.
Acknowledge the small successes.
Talk with your students about digital citizenship.
Encourage students to be sensitive to other people.
Continue to learn.
Pray for your students.
Validate your students throughout the learning process.
Sit in on classes.
Recognize that there is a meaning and purpose to life.
Teach students Emunah and Bitachon: belief in Hashem, but also that Hashem is in control and will help us through the things we go through.
Show your students that you care.
Make Judaism enjoyable.

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Onit Zisserman has been a beloved teacher for over 20 years. She has taught at OROT, Ben Porat Yosef, SINAI, Chabad Garden School, Cheder, has been the Jewish Educational Consultant for Federation Early Learning Services and is now the programming coordinator at Adath Jeshurun Preschool in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Onit has been organizing and running summer and Pesach day camps for 5 years. During the pandemic lockdown, Morah Onit began a sing-along program for children stuck at home. It attracted over 2,000 viewers for her daily show!

Gems:

Expose children to Hebrew at a young age.
Nobody is static; we are all on a journey.
Find a guide, or mentor who really knows you.
Our experience as a student can often be our greatest gift as an educator.
When you’re an educator, you can bring your interests into the classroom.
It’s the little things that matter.
Everyone needs to hear compliments.
Look for ways to collaborate with other educators.
Use the power of song to talk about G-d with children.
Ask questions.
Make information accessible.
Encourage open conversation.
We can learn from each other.
Be a model to others and lead by example.
There are learning experiences with everything we do.
Talk about what the Torah says.
Inspire in your students a love of learning.
Taking care of children is an enormous responsibility.
Educators need encouragement.
Show students how to take responsibility and guide them.
We’re still molding children.
The Torah is not black and white.
Allow your students to draw a connection that the stories we’re telling come from the Torah.
We must never stop learning more.
Stop to listen to what your students are saying.
Let your children know that they are important.
Be honest.
The more real-life things we can give children, becomes a part of their entire, holistic learning approach.
Everything we learn is from the Torah.
There must be a collaboration between the home and school.
Shabbat and holidays should we filled with joy.
Be kind to yourself also.

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Rabbi Akiva Zweig is a Rosh Yeshiva (Head of Yeshiva) and Dean of Students at the Talmudic University of Florida, located in Miami Beach. He studied for several years at Yeshivas Ner Israel in Baltimore, Maryland, and in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Israel, Talmudic University, and Yeshivas Bais HaTalmud. Rabbi Zweig has Bachelors' and Masters' degrees in Talmudic Law as well as Rabbinic Ordination from Talmudic University. He teaches the high school, and in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in the university. He lectures at the highest levels on Scripture, Talmudic law, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy, and Jewish ethics. As Rosh Yeshiva at Talmudic University of Florida, Rabbi Zweig teaches a variety of weekly and daily classes, including Talmud, Jewish Perspective, Jewish Philosophy, Prayer, and Jewish Ethics. He oversees the staff, as well as the self-development of young Jewish college students. He helps prepare them for careers and leadership, in both the Jewish world and the secular world of work. He delivers three weekly online community classes for men and women of all ages and teaches many higher level Yeshiva and Kollel classes. Rabbi Zweig has served as the rabbi of several South Florida synagogues, including Magen David in Bal Harbour, Florida, the Young Israel of Aventura, Florida, and Babi Sali in Aventura, Florida. Rabbi Zweig works on global issues such as anti-Semitism in the Jewish population and educational initiatives worldwide. Since 2017, he has given annually the keynote address at Oxford University for the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy. The program is run by Dr. Charles Small and includes scholars from around the world; the majority of whom are not Jewish. Rabbi Zweig is a certified facilitator for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and has taught multiple courses on how to incorporate those lessons into one's Torah lifestyle. He is also a private coach and offers counseling. Rabbi Zweig has written the following Publications: Thesis on Good and Evil 1997 and An Authentic Jewish Orthodox View On Anti-Semitism, Based On The Five Books of Moses”. You may listen to Rabbi Akiva Zweig’s public classes via Podcast Listen Notes and may join his weekly classes on the The Parasha on the Talmudic University of Florida’s website every Wednesday morning via zoom.

Gems:

Every question needs a real answer.
Embrace the hard questions.
There’s a difference between knowing and believing.
When we know something, we internalize it.
Education is the process where a person becomes dedicated to fulfilling their potential.
The ultimate goal of education is to make good choices.
A person is capable of learning at any age.
Make sure we’re being honest with our abilities and choices.
When a person really develops, it becomes a permanent long-lasting change.
The Introspection process is constant.
Create a vision for who your students can become.
You must have a passion for education.
Remember you’re helping others be the best version of themselves.
Arouse excitement about the fact that your students can think and that their thoughts matter.
Inspire a love of learning.
Always pay attention.
Our responsibility is to use our talents to make the world better.

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Rabbi Nachum Aaron Kutnowski grew up in Thornill, Ontario, Canada. He attended Yeshivas Eitz Chaim and Darchei Torah of Toronto. He continued his Jewish education in Eretz Yisrael at Derech Etz Chaim for a few years. He returned to Toronto and received an honors degree in English Literature from York University. After getting married, he became involved with the Kollel Ohr Yosef of Thornhill. After two years of working at a special educational school, he moved to Hamilton, Ontario and has been working as a Rebbi at the Hamilton Hebrew Academy for the past 7 years. He also founded the Hamilton Community Night Kollel. Next year, Rabbi Kutnowski will become the Head of Judaic Studies at the Halpern Akiva Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Gems:

No matter what age your students are, show them respect.
People are more than the surface level that we see.
Learn how to reach each student.
It’s not what you teach, it’s how you teach it.
Build relationships with your students.
Your actions influence others.
When you talk about G-d and pray, your students will see that.
Make G-d real in our own lives.
Keep it simple!
Express our love of G-d.
Educators are the messengers of the parents.
Education is living and showing how we want our students to live.
Continue to learn and grow.
Discover importance of your role.
Empower students to take their learning upon themselves.
Give your students the skills to be independent.

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Rabbi David Block is the Head of School at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, CA, where he previously served as the Associate Head of School and Judaic Studies Principal. He formerly worked as the Content and Curriculum Developer at Aleph Beta, taught Judaic Studies at Rambam Mesivta in New York, and was the recurring Scholar-in-Residence at the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach. He was formerly the Director of and singer in the Maccabeats. Rabbi Block received rabbinic ordination at Yeshiva University, where he also completed an M.A. in Jewish History, an M.S. in Education, and is currently working on his doctorate.

Gems:

Be open to new ways of learning Torah.
The Torah is multi-layered, and the depth is remarkable.
Think about how to use Torah as the conduit to help students develop their relationship with G-d.
Think through what you are doing to help your students along their journey in their relationship with G-d and Torah.
Talk about G-d all the time.
Ask hard questions.
Learning must be student-centered; they should grapple with things meaningful to them.
Help facilitate an environment where students can reach their potential.
Celebrate and embrace students for who they are.
Push your students to think.
Show each student that they are worth it and also that there’s something greater than them.
Join an environment that nourishes you.
Shift perspective from fighting students to respecting them and helping them on their journey.
Education is a journey.
Learn to keep the integrity of Torah while appreciating the culture that influences us in a positive way.

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David Barishman, originally from South Africa, is currently a 10th Grade Jewish History teacher at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, California. He previously taught Judaics and history at various schools both in South Africa and in LA. In addition, he worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District for twelve years as a history teacher. David is also the director for a Jewish learning center for grades 1-5.

Gems:

Look for ways to best educate our students and best help them to learn effectively.
Sometimes there are no perfect answers.
Model your belief which will be imparted to your students.
Prayer is so important for centering your students.
Education must include experiences and engagement.
Give students the opportunity to practice what is being taught.
Technology can play a huge role in education.
Learn from other educators.
Every day is a brand-new day to impart knowledge to our students.
Be willing to try different things.
Learn what’s best for each individual student.
Teaching is a life-long art.
Education should be tailer-made to meet each student.

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Rabbi Micah Lapidus, Ed.D. is The Director of Jewish and Hebrew Studies at The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Having served in his current position since 2008 he is an advocate for Jewish Day School education. A former board member of the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) as well as PARDES: Day Schools of Reform Judaism, Rabbi Micah is also a composer of Jewish and spiritual music with 5 albums and many more to come. You can find his music on his website: micahlapidus.com.

Gems:

Encourage students to have a conversation about G-d.
Discussions about G-d must be done in a developmentally appropriate way and respectfully.
Make G-d a topic of conversation.
Be mindful of adolescent development.
Education and dedication go hand-in-hand.
Take advantage of opportunities to check your own ego.
Our vision for the future is deeply informed by our memories of the past.
If it’s easy to create good, sweet, funny, and strong memories for children, we need to know that and wield that power with humility and understanding of our importance of trusted adults in their lives.
Let the light shine!
We’re planting seeds in our students.
Read Pirkei Avot.
Maintain boundaries.
Education is an art.
Allow Jewish values to be the values through which you express your most fundamental commitments.

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Ruchi Koval is the co-founder and Associate Director of Congregation JFX, an innovative community in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been a Jewish educator for two decades, leading self-development groups for adults and teens, and mentoring educators around the world. Ruchi is a certified parenting coach, motivational speaker, musician, author, and mother. She is a Trip Leader for Momentum, inspiring hundreds of women on their journeys in Israel. Ruchi is also a columnist for the Cleveland Jewish News, and the author of two books:"Conversations with G-d,"and “Soul Construction.” Find Ruchi on Facebook, Instagram and MeaningfulMinute; on her blog at outoftheorthobox.com; and her podcasts on iTunes or Spotify.

Gems:

Sometimes you’ll have to make tough decisions.
Find your niche.
Put your own family first.
Establish a board of directors.
Remember that you will not please everyone.
Be proud to share your relationship with G-d and that you struggle at times.
Education is a long-term process.
There are no easy fixes in education.
Try not to take things personally.
Express gratitude.
Pray to G-d to bless your efforts.
Put things into the proper prospective.
Set boundaries.
You can’t help someone unless they want to help themselves.
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
We must lead by example.
It’s important to be a student ourselves in addition to teachers.
In-person connections are crucial.

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Conversations with God: Prayers for Jewish Women

Soul Construction: Shape Your Character Using 8 Steps from the Timeless Jewish Practice of Mussar

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Bracha Goetz (Getz) is the Harvard-educated author of 40 books that help children’s souls shine. She also wrote Searching for G-d in the Garbage, a memoir for adults about overcoming food addictions and becoming observant. Her books can be found on the Bracha Goetz Amazon author page and on her website: goetzbookshop.com.

Gems:

Share your own sense of wonder.
Make Torah come alive.
G-d is about infinite love, infinite wisdom, and infinite goodness.
We want our children to experience the greatest pleasure in life and that’s also what Hashem wants.
When our soul shines, we allow other souls to shine.
Education is when we draw down the spiritual light.
Find what you appreciate about your children/students.
Set the tone from the beginning.
Establish clear rules.
Show the value of Judaism.
By being healthy, we can better serve Hashem.

Books: Let's Stay Healthy

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Rabbi Danny Nevins has led three Jewish organizations since being ordained in 1994. He was senior rabbi of Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills, MI. He served as Dean at JTS Rabbinical School for fourteen years. In the summer of 2021, Rabbi Nevins began his current position as Head of School at Golda Och Academy, in West Orange, NJ. He is also a scholar of modern Jewish law. He has written many responsa on topics of modern Jewish life. You may find his publications at www.rabbinevins.com.

Gems:

The goal is to be a teacher of Torah, caregiver to people in need, and a model of integrity and faith.
Don’t feel overwhelmed with how much you have to learn.
Remember your own limitations.
G-d is not in the world, the world is in G-d.
Cultivate your own sense of hope and joy and learn how to model that for our students.
Speak to your students about your struggles.
Prepare your students to dedicate themselves to their purpose.
Our lives have sanctity.
Education is always about a community working together.
Be willing to be vulnerable.
Utilize professional development opportunities.
Don’t look for shortcuts.

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Rabbi Eliezer Rubin is currently the Head of School at The Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, NJ. He began his career in Israel, where he studied at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav before receiving semicha from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. In addition to teaching many young men and women at Israeli yeshivot and seminaries for their gap year, he served as an officer in Tzahal and as Chaplain of the renowned 13th Brigade (Golani). Prior to leading JKHA/RKYHS, Rabbi Rubin enjoyed an18-year-long career at the Ramaz School, where he served as Headmaster of both the Lower and Middle Schools, as well as Dean of the Upper School—a distinction that is exceedingly rare in Jewish or secular education. At Congregation Kehillat Jeshurun, his Shabbat shiurim and other lectures routinely attracted scores of enthusiastic teens and adults from all parts of Manhattan.

Gems:

Sometimes we can resolve conflict, other times we must learn to live with it.
Approach G-d via prayer.
Prayer expresses humility.
Through prayer we can delve into the vastness of G-d.
Examine ourselves with the depth, sophistication, and complication and dive into that with your students.
Routine can create an environment of doldrums or less meaning.
Encourage students to pray even when not in the mood.
A muscle that isn’t used, atrophies.
Prayer has a strong utility for spiritual connection.
Every time a person does a Mitzvah it brings a certain sense of goodness in the world through a spiritual conduit.
Our education isn’t reciprocal, it’s unilateral.
We are creating a frozen concept in time of knowledge.
Knowledge has its own sequence.
Meet students where they are, but also challenge them.
Be careful to not turn students into something they’re not.
Learn to engage and support students, while keeping them on the path.
Listen more than you talk.
Get to know each student.
Every engagement can add or take away.
Find a balance between the traditional and modern.
Create a simple view of Judaism while they’re young, that can be built upon as they get older.
Teach students responsibility to and for the world around them.

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Sari Kopitnikoff is a Jewish educator, illustrator, and author. She founded That Jewish Moment in 2014 in order to spread positivity about Judaism. She is passionate about creating books, games, activities, shows, and virtual challenges that bring Judaism to life. For the last decade, Sari has taught elementary, middle, and high school, but her creativity and energy have reached beyond the classroom, bringing the sparks of Jewish life to all parts of the world.

Gems:

Use your strengths wisely.
Be willing to be vulnerable.
Practice what you preach.
Modeling is important.
Our mission is to share the beauty of G-d’s world.
Remember you don’t know everything.
Help students develop skills that they can build upon.
Collaboration is key.
Look for the potential in opportunities that present themselves.
Make yourself available.
Read a variety of books.
Torah is not a subject; it is a way of life.
Tap into the imagination

Buy Sari's books here:
My Davening Diary
Jewmagine That!: Fun and Creative Drawing Activities for Kids
That Jewish Moment: Positive Thoughts and Moments from Life as an Observant Jew
Buy Rabbi Isaac Rice's book- Alei Deshe

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That Jewish Moment: Positive Thoughts and Moments from Life as an Observant Jew

Jewmagine That!: Fun and Creative Drawing Activities for Kids

My Davening Diary: A Daily Journal with Prompts and Activities to Help You Get into a Prayer Mindset

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Rabbi Eli Zians is the Director of Jewish & Student Life for grades K-8 at Brauser Maimonides Academy in Hollywood, FL, and he teaches middle school. He is the Teen Director for the Boca Raton Synagogue and the former Director for NCSY's JOLT Summer Program where he led high school groups through Poland, Germany/Austria and Israel for the past 8 years. Eli also served as Program Director for the Ronald Lauder Foundation throughout central Europe where he ran numerous Pesach, winter and summer programs for Russian immigrants living in Germany. He has since opened his own summer day camp, Camp Shemesh, in Boca Raton, FL.

Gems:

Find a way to get students engaged.
Expose children to the concept of G-d and the different names of G-d.
Train yourself to look at what the message could be.
Education is giving over something to the child that will last with them long-term.
Be creative in the classroom.
Find new ways to help your students learn the material.
Create memories.
Take time to reflect and reassess.
Pace yourself.
Things will work out with time.
Be adaptable.
Be humble and admit when you make a mistake.
Must be level of consistency and open communication between school and parents.
You don’t always need to recreate the wheel.

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira- Chovas haTalmidim*

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ModernTribe Judaica
ModernTribe is contemporary Judaica that fits your lifestyle. Our focus has always been on you, the

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Rabbi Benjy Owen has served as Head of School of Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South in Memphis, TN since 2015. During his tenure, this PreK-12th grade Day School and High School Dormitory institution has experienced significant growth in enrollment and has conducted a major building campaign and campus renovation effort. The school has a strong and cohesive community. Prior to moving to Memphis, Rabbi Owen was a faculty member of Northwest Yeshiva High School in Seattle, WA for 19 years-serving of Dean of Judaic Studies and Assistant Head of School for many of those years. He has served as interim rabbi and Scholar-in-Residence at Seattle’s Congregation Ezra Bessaroth and was the director of the Pacific Northwest’s Sephardic Adventure Camp. He will return to Seattle to serve as Head of School at the Seattle Hebrew Academy in the Summer of 2022.

Gems:

Be open to opportunities.
The impact of education is awesome!
Creating a Jewish Identity is the biggest thing we can do.
Help students open up to create an identity around Torah and learning.
Modeling is the primary mechanism to influence students: how to learn, how to behave, critical thinking, etc.
Answer the questions of your students at their level.
There is nothing wrong with saying you will think about it and get back to them.
Education is not indoctrination.
Teach our students to be open to thinking, open to Torah, and allow them to develop the frame of mind of Torah.
Torah sells itself!
Have high expectations for students regarding growth.
Must be a partnership between school and the parents.
Engage in difficult conversations respectfully.
Students think differently; they grow and evolve.
Figure out how to present Torah to your students.
Watch for little cues.
Find a mentor who can give you feedback.
Connect Torah with each generation.
Build and foster Jewish community.

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Aryeh was born in Brooklyn NY and graduated from Jewish Educational Center high school in Elizabeth, NJ. He previously taught history at Yeshiva Toras Emes in Brooklyn, NY and taught at Yeshiva of Central Queens and Yeshiva Derech Eres of Brooklyn, he now has come full circle as he teaches in JEC.

Gems:

90%of of teaching is classroom management.
If you can connect with your students, you can teach.
Class size has an effect on class discussion.
Balance between individual education while also having a social part.
Education is finding out how to impact your students in a positive way.
Each student is an individual.
Talk to your students on their level.
Make technology your friend.
Engage your students.
You can always lighten up; you can never tighten up.
Help your students enjoy Torah as much as they enjoy other subjects.
Show your students that they have the potential to learn.

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ModernTribe Judaica
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Rabbi Doctor Judd Kruger Levingston has served as Director of Jewish Studies at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr, PA since 2009. Before coming to Barrack, he taught and held senior positions at Rebecca and Israel Ivry Prozdor High School Program at The Jewish Theological Seminary, Solomon Schechter High School in NY, Chestnut Hill Academy, and Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has published widely on moral development and Jewish education and is the author of Sowing the Seeds of Character: The Moral Education of Adolescents in Public and Private Schools. His forthcoming book, The Moral Case for Play, is based on original research on the vital role of play in character development. He is an avid biker, hiker, and runner.

Gems:

John Phillips wrote “the school should teach goodness and knowledge because goodness without knowledge is weak and evil, and knowledge without goodness is dangerous, but combined they form the noblest character.”
Elevate the student’s sense of self and identity.
Develop an honor code with values, for example: honor, moral courage, kindness, community.
Find out what your students and teachers value.
We are role models.
Informal interactions make schools moral places.
Play is an important part of moral, character, and social development.
Opposite of play isn’t work, it’s depression.
Play uplifts kids’ spirits.
Creative play is better than fixed play.
Love and care about the kids as learners.
Build an environment of trust.
Play doesn’t have to be leisure; play is hard work.
G-d can play many different roles in our lives.
Allow your students to have their voice.
Model for students how you wrestle with G-d.
Education is leading students beyond their own preconceptions to deeper their understanding.
Education is process of developing skills and developing their character.
Big transformations happen as kids develop their character and stronger sense of self.
Make sure every student has a place and feels like they belong.
Teach your students according to their way.
Find new approaches to teaching.
Treat everyday as the first day of school.
Be the adult.
Follow the 80-20 rule. If 80% is paying attention-that’s excellent.
What you say might not be what they hear.
Have Fun!
The teacher that teaches best, teaches the least!
Encourage students to engage with Torah.

You can purchase Rabbi Judd's book here: Sowing the Seeds of Character: The Moral Education of Adolescents in Public and Private Schools.

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Sowing the Seeds of Character: The Moral Education of Adolescents in Public and Private Schools (Educate US)

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Rachel Zivic grew up in Chicago, attending Jewish Day School for elementary
and high school. She is currently the Head of School/Principal at Kellman Brown Academy in Voorhees, NJ. Prior to becoming Head of School, she was the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Rachel also served on the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Accreditation committee.

Model compassion and supportive leadership.
Important not to shy away from talking about G-d with children of all ages.
Talking about G-d makes G-d manifest in our lives.
It’s Ok not to have all the answers.
Learn about what your students have to say.
Education is interacting differently with the world around us.
Learning is valuable and leads you to take action.
A robust Jewish education is important.
Inspire people to care and make Jewish education a priority.
Greet every student by name and get to know them.
We’re educating the next generation of Jewish leaders.
Find colleagues who share your values and collaborate with them.
Knowledge of Hebrew is crucial.
Immerse students in Hebrew.

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Rabbi Lori Forman-Jacobi who is the Director of Jewish Journeys. She has worked in Jewish education for over 30 years, heading both a community congregational school and two Hebrew High schools in the New York Metropolitan Area. She was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1988 and was a member of the first rabbinical class that included female students. She is the co-editor of Sacred Intentions: Morning Inspiration to Strengthen the Spirit and Nighttime Inspirations to Calm the Soul.

Gems:

Education that allows students to encounter traditional texts and wrestle with them will allow them to grow in their Jewish identity.
The fertile ground for Jewish learning must begin at home.
Life fits into the Jewish cycle instead of the Jewish cycle fitting into life.
Encourage students to do creative things.
Use the modalities that students love.
Build on the relationships you can create with students and parents.

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Rabbi Elazar Grossman is a native of Brooklyn, NY. He is the Director of the Long Island Torah Network. He lives in Huntington, Long Island, NY. Rabbi Grossman attended the Rabbinical Seminary of America - Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim of Queens from 1995 - 2011. Rabbi Grossman believes that Torah study is the key to unlocking our potential in every area. He studied and taught in many cities from San Diego to Fort Worth to Miami. Rabbi Grossman continues to pursue his mission of bringing the joy of in-depth Torah study to the broader Jewish community.

Gems:

Torah education is not generic.
Every tradition has to be rooted in something.
Measure quality of learning.
Study and then teach.
Mussar-character development is more than being a good person and must be studied.
Education must be interactive.
Learning and understanding takes place on every level.
Engage students intellectually and then they will engage emotionally.
Interpersonal relationships are our gateway to our relationship with Hashem.
Focus on our own behavior.
Real teaching is when you allow your students to have dialogue and allow them to stretch their understanding.
Allow students to take ownership of the process.
Real education is not glamorous.
Can’t take shortcuts when it comes to learning.
Appreciate the opportunity to grow yourself as an educator.
The foundation is showing people that none of the Torah is made up.
Help students develop their core.

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Rabbi Gil Perl is the CEO of the Ades Family Foundation and the founding Head of School of the Jewish Leadership Academy which is a middle and high school opening in Miami in 2023. He is the former Head of School at Kohelet Yeshiva in Merion Station, PA. He is the author of the book The Pillar of Volozhin: Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and the World of Nineteenth Century Lithuanian Torah Scholarship. Rabbi Perl writes and lectures on topics including history of Modern Jewry, contemporary Jewish education, and Modern Orthodoxy. Rabbi Perl has a blog gilperl.com and you can find him on Twitter @gperl.

Gems:

Don’t assume every child is grounded in G-d.

We must show our children that there are different ways of discovering G-d.

Education is preparing for the future.

Take the time to think about the bigger picture and whether what we’re doing is the best way to prepare our children/students.

Allow students to have ownership over their schooling.

Create experiential learning opportunities.

Develop a growth mindset.

Continue to learn and push yourself.

Find the right growth environment where you can find a mentor.

Show our students the beauty in Judaism.

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Judy Groner has served as the Head of Perelman Jewish Day School since 2014. She was previously the head of B’nai Shalom Day School in Greensboro, NC. She is one of the founders of Kibbutz Hannaton, where she acte as Mazkira. While living in Israel, she also worked for Project Oren at Oranim Seminary. Judy began her career as a teacher at Solomon Schechter of Philadelphia, PA (now Perelman). She was Rosh Aidah for several summers at Camp Ramah in the Poconos- a formative educational experience.

Gems:

Educators can change a community.
Wonder, reflect, and inspire.
Every child who asks questions becomes a learning partner.
Children receive through experience the building blocks that lead them through the various developmental stages of thought.
Encourage your students to seek the path to their Jewish identity.
Get to know your students well.
Know why you do what you do.
Tell your story.
Immerse yourself and students in Hebrew.
Adapt as necessary.
Listen first, listen more, then take a deep breath before speaking.
Include families.
Build the skills- block by block, then as they learn let them teach.

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Rabbi Moshe Schwartz is the Head of School at Krieger Schechter Day School in Baltimore, MD. He previously served as the Head of School at Kellman Brown Academy in Voorhees, NJ. He recently completed a two year Certificate in School Leadership and Management from the Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Rabbi Moshe is a lifelong New York Jets and Mets fan.

Gems:

Model experiential learning.
Welcome all questions.
Make space to talk about G-d.
Study the texts deeply.
If we wrestle with G-d in our history and tradition, then we can engage with G-d in our lives today.
Try to do too much and you end up with nothing.
Though students may not have the proper intent initially, engaging with them will become sacred because they will understand that you do not have all of the answers either.
See every moment as a learning experience.
There isn’t one way to learn.
Continue to have open dialogue with other educators.
Education is a marathon, not a sprint.
Be consistent.
Make the time for Torah study.

https://www.moderntribe.com/?aff=109

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Rabbi Aaron Horn is the Associate Principal of Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Merion Station, PA. He earned his BA in Biology and Semicha from Yeshiva University. Previously, He served as Director of Middle School NCSY in NJ and as a Rabbinic intern at the Herzlia Adas-Yeshurun Synagogue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Rabbi Horn has taught Gamara and Tanach to adults and children.

Gems:

Talk with high school students the same way you would talk with adults.
Find opportunities for deep, meaningful conversations with your students.
Education can happen at any time or in any environment.
Students are always watching.
When it’s sincere, kids will pick it up.
Live a genuine life that you can.
Often when something clicks with a high school student, it sticks with them.
It’s impossible to excel in every area.
Time is precious.
Take time to recharge.
Watch your colleagues because you do not have to recreate the wheel.
Communication is very important.
Create a Beautiful, Relevant, Inspirational, and Meaningful lifestyle.

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Danit Schusterman- is a Certified Montessori Primary Teacher and Educational Consultant with over 20 years of experience. She is the author of A Jewish Homeschool Blog and published a Kosher cookbook called Maui Kosher. Danit homeschooled her 5 children on the island of Maui, HI where she and her husband ran Chabad of Maui for 13 years. Currently, she teaches 4th grade and does education consulting.

Gems:

Learn to see each person for who they are and meet them where they are.
Notice the Godliness in everything we do.
Help children/students see the potential within themselves.
Be an example.
Build a relationship.
Control the environment, not the classroom or your students.
When you trust your students, they will be willing to learn.
Love what you do.
Focus on what each child needs.
Kids need to be happy, relaxed, secure, and calm to be receptive to what you are teaching.

Check out her blog and printables here: http://jewishhomeschool.blogspot.com/

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Samara Sofian is the head of school at The Silver Academy in Harrisburg, PA. Born and raised in Central PA, she is happy to have the opportunity to return home. She has been an Education Director in various Hebrew schools. She also served as Director of Development at the Silver Academy.

Gems:

Connect with G-d daily.
Recognize the strengths that G-d has given your students.
Education is the process of learning and growing.
Learn to draw on your student’s strength to inspire learning.
There is always room for improvement.
Be the example.

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In this episode we interview the founders of the Ani Ve Ami curriculum: Amy Bodkin, Yehudis Litvak, and Malkie Swidler.

Amy Bodkin is an Autistc Adult, School Psychologist, and Homeschool Mom to her two Autistic kids. She consults primarily with homeschool families as the Special Needs Consultant at Ani VeAmi and A Charlotte Mason Plenary. She works with families who have experienced chronic health conditions, disabilities, trauma, asynchronous development, etc. Her practice is guided by Charlotte Mason’s idea that “Children are born persons” and makes it her goal to see each child as an individual, not a diagnosis.

Yehudis Litvak has been homeschooling for over eleven years. Her oldest child graduated high school last year. She is passionate about giving every child an opportunity to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically in a homeschool environment. Yehudis loves to read and write living books, and she is the author of a Young Adult historical fiction trilogy, as well as numerous short stories. Yehudis lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Malkie Swidler is the mother of a tween, teens and an adult who has been homeschooling for close to 20 years. She encourages parents to see their children’s strengths. Malkie shares her passion for establishing relationships with her own children and encourages other parents to do the same.

Gems:

Create an environment of love and respect.
Emphasize holidays and liturgy.
Our children’s perception of G-d is influenced by how we relate to them.
Parents are the ambassadors of G-d to their children.
We have a relationship with G-d because it is meaningful to us.
When we provide children with what they need, they grow.
Education is everything our children/students do throughout the day and influences who they are as a person.
Allow children to connect with themselves and then they will connect with others.
Learn to work past our own biases.
Work on ourselves.
Be Flexible.
We are the facilitators of our children/students.
Allow our children/students to be who they are.
Learn to respect our fellow Jews and teach our children/students to do the same.

Learn more about their curriculum: https://ani-ve-ami.com/
Charlotte Mason- https://simplycharlottemason.com/

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Cantor Jacqueline Rafii is the Cantor at Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills, California, where she develops and directs all musical programming, creative prayer experiences, and music education. Cantor Rafii had a previous career as an entertainment lawyer before switching career paths and following her calling. She is a Wexner Graduate Fellow, and as part of her Master’s Thesis collected and notated Persian-Jewish prayer melodies to bring awareness to global Jewish music. She is a composer and pianist, and sings in 5 languages.

Teach students that we must be holy because we are made in the image of G-d and G-d is holy.
Empower students to expand their understanding and build a relationship with G-d
Encourage your students to question.
Learn to balance tradition and innovation.
Make Torah relevant for our students.
We learn best by doing.
Learn to be flexible.
Include the whole family in the learning process.

Find her music: https://www.jacquelinerafii.com/
Academy For Jewish Religion- CA: https://ajrca.edu/

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Rabbi Ilyse Kramer is a long-time educator and former director of life long learning at Gesher in Harrisburg, PA. She is currently the director of Kesher: Connection at Columbia Jewish Congregation in Columbia, Maryland. She has extensive educational experience with both children and adults.

Best way to reach students is to ask them what they think.
Give students content that is meaningful.
Encourage students to think.
Learn to tell a compelling story.
Show that you really care about your students.
Allow students to ask tough questions.
Your job is not to answer all their questions, it is to plant the seeds for continued learning.
Students are not receptacles for receiving knowledge, involve them in the process.
We also need to continue learning.

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Hilary Greenberg is an experienced teacher, education director and consultant. She has a master’s degree in Jewish Education from Gratz College and a doctorate in Education from The University of Pennsylvania. Prior to becoming a Jewish educator, Hilary received her law degree from UCLA School of Law. Currently, she is the co-founder of Move Better, which is a fitness training and lifestyle coaching company.

Take your students’ lead.
Education is a give and take between student and teacher.
Be patient with yourself and students.
Find a mentor.

https://www.movebetter570.com/

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In this epic episode we interview Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe. Rabbi Wolbe is the Director of Outreach for TORCH, a Houston-based Jewish education and community outreach organization. He hosts six podcasts with listeners in over 118 countries. Rabbi Wolbe holds Rabbinic ordinations from Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, Chief Justice of the Supreme Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem and Aish HaTorah.

Education is preparing someone for what they are going to do long-term.
Teach children to pray/talk to G-d.
Children need unconditional love.
With G-d’s help, the high points will exceed the low points.
He who does the work does the learning.
Spark our students to want to learn on their own.
Children must be engaged in a Torah environment.
Children need to play more.

http://rabbiwolbe.com/
https://www.torchweb.org/
Rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

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Rabbi Chaim Galfand is a former lawyer and is currently the Rabbi of Perelman Jewish Day school which has two campuses: one in Wynnewood, PA and the other in Melrose Park, PA. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA where he attended various Jewish day schools including Perelman. Rabbi Galfand trained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, and the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, he has experienced and helped shape various models of what a Jewish spiritual community can and should look like. He has been a guest cantor at Temple Beth El in Lancaster, PA. Rabbi Galfand is passionate about guiding students to discover their place in the universe.

Gems:

Focus on the link between individual Jew and their own tradition.
Build from the bottom up.
Practice patience and kindness.
Share stories.
Engage learners less in the head and more in the heart.
Be mindful how we talk about G-d.
Encourage students to ask questions.
Build upon children’s sense of wonder.
The home is significant in children’s learning.
Include the family in learning.
Empower students to have conversations with their parents.
We are beginning the journey of learning.
Guide students to discover their place in the universe.
Share our values of Torah with the world.
Do not forget who you are as a person.
Teach what you do not have to unteach later.

Find him on twitter: https://twitter.com/pjdsrabbi?lang=en

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Professor Aaron Hahn-Tapper, originally from Philadelphia, PA, now calls Northern California his home. He has been a professor at the University of San Francisco in Jewish studies for 14 years. He is the director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice. Professor Hahn-Tapper is also the Executive Director of the Center for Transformative Education which was founded to create empowering educational programs to transform societies into their potential.

Gems:

Create learning opportunities from events that occur in the class.

Be open to dialogue with your students.

Continue to learn from others.

Surround yourself with others who can motivate you.

Be open to new ideas.

Univeristy of San Francisco- https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/aaron-hahn-tapper

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Rabbi Erez Sherman is currently a rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, CA. He is originally from NY and is the brother of Rabbi Nogah Marshall- (listen to her episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/8092562). He is also a graduate of Albert A. List College and Columbia University (with degrees in Music and Talmud), where he wrote his thesis, “Music in the Synagogue in the 21st Century. Rabbi Sherman is passionate about Judaism and working with the special needs community. In fact, he created KEEN (Kids Enjoying Exercise Now) Basketball Clinic for special needs children and the Sinai Temple Basketball Camp.

Gems:

You always end up in the same place but take a different route to get there.
Bring Judaism to life in the classroom.
Connect your students with the long chain of traditions.
G-d is our coach.
Encourage children to talk about the various characteristics of G-d.
Enhance connections with new traditions.
No memorization only education.
Rededicate yourself and your students to knowledge everyday.
Learn from your students.
Disruption is a time for disruption.
Relationships build community.
Find ways to include families with special needs.
Focus on our mission as a community.
Be open to the new without giving up on the values you teach (New innovation-same foundation).
Make Judaism all-encompassing and experiential.

You can reach Rabbi Sherman below:
https://www.facebook.com/erez.shermansts
https://www.keenlosangeles.org/rabbi-erez-sherman
https://twitter.com/rabbiesherman?lang=en

Listen to his podcast: Rabbi On the Sidelines on all of the major podcast sites.

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Dina Eliezer was born in Turkey and raised in Israel. After getting married, she and her husband lived in France for a few years where she started a school. After a few years, she and her family moved here to the U.S. We worked together at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, NJ when she was the Education Director. She is passionate about Jewish education and building traditions. Dina spent a few years traveling with her husband before returning to the classroom. She currently teaches at Philadelphia Hebrew Charter School.

Gems:

Share Your Passion.
Be flexible, you never know where you will go to teach.
Write the Hebrew correctly.
Remember to teach in a way that your students will understand.
Share love of the Hebrew language.
Transmit values.
Be a model to your students.
Believe in what you are teaching.
Figure out what your students can relate to.
The foundation is built at home.
Help families create traditions and build on that.
Always listen and pay attention.
Really reflect on why you decided to teach.
We are defenders of Israel in the classroom.
Immerse yourself in the language through songs and activities.

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In this episode we interview Rabbi Jeff Wohlgelernter. He is the Rabbi Emeritus and founder of Congregation Adat Yeshurun in La Jolla, California. He and his son Ahron are avid podcasters themselves. Be sure to check out "Think Torah" and "Around the Shabbos Table" on the Intentional Jew Podcast Network (IJP) for some excellent content and thoughtful pedagogical tools and ideas which can be used at your own Shabbos Table and beyond. Rabbi Jeff lives in Israel and is an extraordinary, seasoned, and gifted Jewish Educator. Rabbi Jeff has a passion for learning, hospitality, and creativity, and loves to interact with Jews of different backgrounds inspiring them to grow and develop their Jewish identity in a positive and healthy way - emotionally, spiritually.

Website: https://www.intentionaljew.com/shows/think-torah/

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Rabbi Nogah Marshall is the Education Director at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, NJ. Born into a Rabbinic family, her father, brother, and sister-in-law who are also Rabbis. The education bug bit her from an early age and she knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of Jewish children. Rabbi Marshall loves to create programs and believes in learning through doing.

Gems:

Parents are our first models.
Incorporate experiences through doing.
Ask questions.
Share your love and passion for Judaism.
Connect with your students.
Be adaptable.
You are making a difference in your students’ lives.
Include meaningful experiences with your students and families.
Your colleagues are part of your team; use them as resources.
Education never ends.

JedLab Jobs- https://www.facebook.com/groups/jdsmedialab/

Jewish Educators Assembly- https://www.jewisheducators.org/

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Mrs. Wendy Marder is one of my former Hebrew school teachers. As a child, she pretended she was a teacher with her brothers. Initially, Mrs. Marder was a public-school teacher, later, she became a Jewish educator after studying at Touro College in NY. Mrs. Marder was very involved in NCSY in high school. She taught Hebrew school throughout high school. Her first teaching job after she graduated was at West Chester Day School in Long Island, NY. After marrying her husband, Ami, she moved to New Jersey and has lived there ever since. She has been the Education Director at B’nai Tikvah-Beth Israel in Sewell, NJ for 21 years. Mrs. Marder loves to learn, teach, and plan Mitzvah programs, hands-on activities, and experiential learning.

Gems:

Mentor with other educators.
As educators, we are students also.
G-d is everywhere, but you are not going to find G-d if you don’t look.
G-d does not always show loving signs.
We are partners with G-d to help make the world better.
Debates encourage older students to participate.
Learn from everyone and be open-minded.
Create engaging activities that use as many senses as possible.
Continue learning.
Connect instead of correct.
Judaism is personal.
Prioritize Jewish education.
Constantly engage with your students, resources, and learning.
Community is important!
Find the spark!
Help your students feel important.
Involve Bar/Bat Mitzvah students to help in the classroom as assistants.

Inspiration: http://www.debbiefriedman.com/

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Janet Luterman is a colleague and esteemed educator. She began teaching in 1981 at Beth El in Margate, NJ. She has taught in several schools in the Philadelphia, PA area. We both taught at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia, PA several years ago. Currently, Janet lives in Israel on a Kibbutz in the north, near the Kinneret. She teaches English to Israeli children. Janet is inspired by her students and approaches education with an outside of the box and creative way. Special shout-out to Cindy Citron. You can listen to her episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/6714724

Gems:

We talk to G-d through song.
Help your students find their own way.
Be open to learning from your students.
Students learn from discussions rather than from a teacher-centered approach.
Inspire your students to ask questions.
Allow the students to have autonomy in their education, while you are the guide.
Share poems and songs in Hebrew.
Always learn and incorporate new things into the classroom.
Talk about the Torah by asking questions, for example: what lessons can we learn?

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Lillian is a long-time educator born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. She taught French and Spanish at the Yeshiva of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. After she and her family moved back to Harrisburg, PA, she began to teach at Temple Ohev Shalom and Chisuk Emuna, then went on to become the Religious school director of Ohev Shalom for over twenty years. Lillian is also extremely passionate about Holocaust education, as a child of survivors, she organizes the Reading of the Names every year around the anniversary of the Holocaust.

Gems:

Fill a void by making a difference in the community.
Share your vision with your students.
Nurture and cherish every child.
Help your students develop a connection with Klal Yisrael.
Judaism is a way of life and it is our duty to help our students feel that way.
Incorporate Judaism into every aspect of your day.
Your students can give you strength.
Teachers make or break your school.
Find teachers that children can relate to and that you can learn from.
Jewish education needs to be joyful, meaningful, and relevant.

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Ami Monson is a dear colleague and long-time educator who grew up in Philadelphia, PA, though now lives in Las Vegas, NV. We taught together at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia, PA. We also were youth advisors for United Synagogue Youth. He comes from a family of Jewish educators. His father was the Hillel Rabbi of the University of Pennsylvania and his mother was a Jewish sociology professor and later Dean of Gratz College in Melrose Park, PA. Ami was the Program Director for Maccabi USA Sports for Israel for 11 and a half years. He is currently in Rabbinical school at the Academy for Jewish Religion.

Gems:

It is not about the paycheck.
We can be G-d-like through our actions.
Put into action what you are learning.
Continue to study Torah and never stop helping others.
Education entails learning via the books, with others, and through putting what you learn into action.
We are always students.
Use the resources available to your advantage.
Share your passion with your students.
Believe in your students!
Find a mentor!
Connect with your students on their level.
The more engaging you are, the more attractive you will be to your students.

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In this episode we interview Rabbi Daniel Lewin. He has his semicha (Rabbinical Ordination) from Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim. He currently teaches (Keriah) reading skills to students at the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore, MD. Rabbi Lewin enjoys working with various ages and loves sharing the fundamentals of Torah values, Middot (character traits), and Philosophy.

Take advantage of the opportunity to gain experience as a student teacher.
Your students are always watching how you handle yourself and how you act.
Find out how to reach each student.
Let them know that G-d/Hashem loves them and is proud of them.
Students will have a good feeling about G-d/Hashem if they’re experiencing success in school.
Developing the connection with your students is something lasts forever.
Find mentors.
Be Positive!
Ask your student about what’s wrong before giving solution.

You can reach out to Rabbi Daniel Lewin here- Rabbidaniellewin@gmail.com

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Avigayle Adler Katz is the founder of The Open Studio in Jerusalem, Israel. She is originally from Mount Laurel, NJ (a fellow South Jerseyan)! Avigayle founded The Open Studio in 2012 and has been teaching children and adults art ever since. She has been an artist-in-residence at camps and seminary programs across the U.S. and Israel. Her passion is bringing out the inner artist in each adult and child that she works with. Avigayle specializes in mosaics, glass painting, and paper cutting.

Gems:

Children want to know that you "get" them.
Help children see that they’re worth it.
Learning can take place when you’re heart is alive.
Remember the spark of G-d inside.
Be ready to adapt.
Provide the materials and inspiration for your students.
Find the passion that motivates you to continue educating your students.
Be yourself!
Listen to your students.

You can find Avigayle's work here: https://openstudiojlem.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/openstudiojlem

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Yael Nehama, a mother of three, began by educating her children at home. Once they were grown up, she went back to school, discovered Montessori and she has been teaching ever since. Yael Nehama is currently a Montessori teacher at the Gan Chabad School in Lower Merion, PA.

Gems:

Breathe!
Pray!
Children build on the basics.
Build a relationship with your students.
Students can become guides to their fellow students.
We are given the Torah as a guide.
Modeling and living your life to help and support your students to live a better life.
Inspire them, excite, and instill that love in our heritage.
We are planting seeds in our students, which means we need to be responsible gardeners.
It's not about you, it's about them. (Keep your EGO out)
See the divine within the child.
Continue learning.
Take care of yourself.
Sing to your children.
Bring quiet to the classroom.
Children need to learn independence and responsibility.
K.I.S.S.- Keep It Simple.
Share Your Passion.

Resources:
Trillium Montessori
Social media: Facebook groups, Instagram
"Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society." Maria Montessori

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Joanna Powers, shares how she ended up in Allentown, PA after being born and raised in NY. She shares her love of Judaism and how her school has adjusted during this pandemic. Joanna is the Judaics Director at the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, in Allentown, PA, and she also teaches various grades there. She has always had a passion for education and enjoys sharing her love of Judaism with her students.

Gems:

Relate prayers as opportunities to thank G-d/Hashem for what we have.
Talk about Hashem according to the level of each child.
Give children ownership of the process.
Every student has their individual needs.
Children are not just numbers in the class, they are someone else's baby.
Children need to feel loved, safe, and happy.
Present Jewish topics in a way that inspires them, and allows them to connect.

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Ellis Rosenberg is an educator with over 30 years of experience. He currently lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and teaches at Ohev Shalom. He has taught at various schools both in Harrisburg and Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Gems:

You get what you give (when you show respect to others, you receive it back).
Share your personal experience.
Everything fits within the cycle that G-d/Hashem created.
Admit when you have challenges.
Make Judaism a priority.
It is important to learn Torah, but respecting others is equally important.
Inspire a feeling in your students that they're connected to the long-term history that we have.
Develop the love of Judaism.
It is crucial for families to make Jewish education a priority.

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In this podcast, we interview Cindy Citron. Cindy is a long-time educator and is currently the education director of the Judy Sare Nursery school at Tiferet Israel in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

Gems:

Understanding Hebrew will help develop proper intention while praying.
We may not see something all of the time, but we can feel it's presence.
Children begin learning through song.
Create experiences: inspire, create, transform, and celebrate.
Engage in professional development (for example: Jedlabs).
Ancient values that we learn are still relevant today.

Resources:
Jedlab on Facebook
New CAJE
Jewish Learning Venture
Song Leader's Institute- Song Leader's Boot Camp with Rick Recht
Gratz College
92nd St Y Shababa with Karina zilberman
NAEYC

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Eilleen Eisenberg, a friend of mine from Israel, she teaches drama to Hebrew school and Jewish day school students. She created a platform of self expression and combines Jewish teaching and Israeli themes in her acting programs.

Gems:

Everyone has a role.
Children have a natural understanding of G-d/Hashem.
Incorporate Hebrew as much as possible.
The appearance of another is no indication of how observant they are.
Share your passion with your students.
Model to our students how to treat others with respect.
When you fear and love G-d/Hashem, you will be more careful with the way you treat others.
Do the best you can!

Reach out to Eilleen and book her for your school: Dramaqueeneilleen@gmail.com.

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In this episode we interview Rabbi Moshe Yosef Gewirtz. Originally from New York, he and his family have made a home in Harrisburg, PA where he teaches Judaic Studies at the Silver Academy. He comes from a line of Jewish educators and has a passion for Judaism.

Gems:

Our relationship with G-d/Hashem deepens everyday.
Put yourself in the shoes of your students.
Love of Torah will aid you to grow closer to G-d/Hashem.
We don't teach subjects, we teach students.
Develop the personality traits in children (Middot).
Doesn't matter how observant we are, we must continue to grow.
Keep moving past the beginning.
Teach students to think.
The effort that is put into education is important.
Help the students feel that the most pleasurable thing to do is to learn Torah.

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In this episode, we interview Chaim Respes. He is not only my cousin, but also a Jewish educator who has taught various ages. He currently teaches Hebrew high school students and leads them on their yearly trip to Israel. Chaim also runs prayer services at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, New Jersey with children from kindergarten up to sixth grade.

Gems:

Small bits of wisdom can inspire students to want to learn more.
Sometimes our students need to hear from other people.
Our history is relevant today.
We pray in Hebrew, however, its important to understand what we're reading.
Be mindful of age group when teaching, whether about G-d or other topics.
Allow children to express wonder and creativity.
Encourage our children to develop their Jewish identity.
Be flexible.

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In this episode, we interview Gina Tzizik. Gina is a Montessori educator. She is an artist who has taught preschool children in a Montessori school and she currently trains Montessori teachers. Gina is in the process of pursuing a Master's in Jewish Education at Hebrew College in Massachusetts where she lives.

Gems:

Develop other interests outside of teaching.
Allow children to explore their natural wonder.
The foundation is built from birth up to age 5.
Focus on long-term, not just the end result.
Learning begins at home.

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In this episode, we interview my dad, Rabbi Gamliel Respes. He is a long-time educator that has a passion for Judaism. He was taught by his father, Rabbi Abel Respes (z"l). Rabbi Gamliel Respes currently teaches 7th grade at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, NJ.

Gems:

Model at home as much as possible.
Connect with Judaism yourself and you'll be able to share it with your students.
Continue to tell our story.

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The Jewish Education Experience Podcast: Recent Episodes

Yasminah & Ari

The Jewish Education Experience Podcast: Recent Episodes

Yasminah &amp; Ari

Yasminah & Ari