NewCAJE15: Full Schedule

9:00am EDT

From Alef-bet to Bar/Bat Mitzvah: An overview of the Read Hebrew Program

The session will give a complete overview of the design and teaching techniques developed in the Read Hebrew Now program to help students to become accurate and confident readers as they approach Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Speakers

Diana Yacobi

President, Educator, Sarah and David LLC

I grew up in the Conservative Movement. A bit of a late bloomer, I became the Educational Director of synagogue schools in Fort Lee, NJ and Closter, NJ after completing my MA in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. As an educator, I felt a pressing need to offer... Read More →

Monday July 29, 2024 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
UNIV 3051

Hebrew Product

11:00am EDT

Jigzi: Explore Jigzi - the new innovative platform and tool to make learning in your school engaging, inspiring and fun.

Easily find and share interactive lessons that will enrich your Judaic and Hebrew lessons. Easily create your own interactive games with Jigzi’s game generators for any level! Easily design digital resources using Jigzi’s automatic design for every Jewish Holiday and thousands of Israel, Hebrew and Jewish stickers! Delivered in English. Suitable for Judaics and Hebrew teachers K-6th Grade.

Speakers

Sammy Morhaim

Global Community Director, Jewish Interactive

Sammy Morhaim is the Global Community Director & Senior Educator at Jewish Interactive (Ji) and manages Ji's training services and content development & delivery. Sammy was previously Head of Jewish Studies at the King David School Manchester, an outstanding school, where he also... Read More →

Monday July 29, 2024 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
UNIV 3051

Teaching Tools & Techniques Hebrew Technology Product

11:00am EDT

It’s Positively Torah! The Magical Elixir of Torah & Positive Character Strengths

What do Abraham, Miriam, and other bible heroes teach us about becoming our best selves? You will learn about the VIA Institute’s 24 positive character strengths and how we, like bible heroes, use these strengths. This positive strength-based approach explores Torah narratives while enriching our understanding of how our personal strengths impact us, our relationships, our world, and deepen our connection to Judaism. You will sample activities and discussions from our student text Positively Torah, designed for grades 5-8. You will leave with practical ideas and strategies to empower each of your students and transform your classroom culture and curriculum to uncover and nurture what is best in each of us.

Speakers

Susan Tessel

Susan Tessel is the co-creator of "Positively Torah" which combines positive psychology and Torah Study. She completed doctoral work at JTS. She has taught in Day school, Public school and Supplementary schools. Susan served as Director of the Westchester Teacher’s Center, and at... Read More →

Monday July 29, 2024 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
UNIV 2008

Values and Ethics Bible/Text Product

3:30pm EDT

Helping Pre-Teens and Teens Thrive

This will be a behind-the-scenes look at Moving Traditions' educational work and how we integrate positive psychology, social-emotional learning, empathy education, and a gender lens with Jewish education. We'll explore some of the best practices for engaging pre-teens and teens and connecting the questions in their personal lives to Jewish wisdom.

Speakers

Daniel Brenner

Monday July 29, 2024 3:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
UNIV 3052

Teens Bar/Bat Mitzvah Product

5:30pm EDT

Tools for Creating Engaging Holocaust Commemorations for Jewish and Interfaith Audiences

In this time of rising antisemitism, it is crucial that we make the story of the Holocaust feel relevant and resonant to everyone. Almost 80 years since liberation, the Holocaust can seem like ancient history. In this workshop, we will discuss and demonstrate how to create engaging Holocaust commemorations for Jewish audiences and, separately, for interfaith audiences. We will base these commemorations around a new ritual entitled Light from the Darkness: a ritual for Holocaust remembrance. We will demonstrate how to use this ritual in combination with storytelling, music, poetry, and targeted audience-participation questions to create a commemoration that is not only powerful and moving but actually draws the audience into the conversation.

Speakers

Deborah Fripp

Deborah Fripp is the Executive Director of Teach the Shoah. Our mission is to ensure that the story of the Holocaust lives and remains relevant and resonant to everyone. She is the author of Light from the Darkness: A Ritual for Yom HaShoah. She blogs about the Holocaust for the Times... Read More →

Jennifer Zunikoff

Storyteller. Educator. Coach, Grow Us a Jewish Story

Jennifer Zunikoff is a Jewish storyteller who blends traditional texts with her original interpretations. She is a poet, educator, author, facilitator, and storytelling coach. She is the Storytelling Director for Teach the Shoah and the founder/director of The Golden Door: Storytelling... Read More →

Monday July 29, 2024 5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT
UNIV 3048

History/Holocaust/Antisemitism Product

5:30pm EDT

Positively Torah & More! The Magical Elixir of Jewish Learning & Positive Character Strengths

How can we adapt any lesson to nurture our learners’ positive character strengths and help them become their best selves? In this session, we will apply methods used in Positively Torah by studying various subject areas through the lens of character strengths.This approach elevates Jewish studies to leverage positive character strengths to shape classroom culture and build community. We will explore how Jewish values, such as Hakarat Hatov (recognizing the good), can be incorporated into your classroom to promote supportive relationships. This workshop provides practical ideas and strategies that are the foundation for a magical elixir combining Jewish values and positive character strengths to help your learners thrive.

Speakers

Susan Tessel

Monday July 29, 2024 5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT
UNIV 2008

Values and Ethics Bible/Text product

2:15pm EDT

Teaching Boys

This session will explore the social pressures on boys, the complicated nature of boyhood in the current moment, and strategies for teaching boys that give them a sense of agency and purpose. In addition to exploring this element of the gender code, we'll look specifically at a Jewish model of masculinity outlined in Maimonides Hilchot De'ot and how it speaks to the challenges many boys are currently facing.

Speakers

Daniel Brenner

Tuesday July 30, 2024 2:15pm - 3:45pm EDT
UNIV 2008

Teaching Tools & Techniques Teens Bible/Text Bar/Bat Mitzvah product

4:15pm EDT

Hebrew Reading Techniques: Explore Jigzi, our innovative new platform and learn how to make Asynchronous tools for your learners.

In this hands-on session we will experience a lesson created on an aspect of Tefillah through our platform, and then attempt to create your own, using our large variety of Jewish Clip art, Hebrew ‘Nikkud’ Keyboard and Sefaria integration.
This workshop also provides teachers a guided introduction to using Jigzi to teach Mishna. Learn about blended resources, printables and teaching techniques that bring these resources to life. We will explore the 3 key stages to teaching a Mishna and how to digitize content to enhance engagement.
Suitable for Judaics teachers 1st-6th Grade.

Speakers

Sammy Morhaim

Global Community Director, Jewish Interactive

Tuesday July 30, 2024 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
UNIV 2004

Teaching Tools & Techniques Hebrew Technology product

4:15pm EDT

Because We Were Slaves: Racial Struggle in America through a Jewish Lens

This session will share the “Racial Struggle Through a Jewish Lens” curriculum, which explores the experience of Jews finding begrudging acceptance in the United States and the experience of black Americans who arrived as slaves and struggled to have equal rights under the law. Both groups aspire to become proud Americans without experiencing prejudice. This session is for teachers of middle school students, high school students and adults. Text based discussions focus on the parallels and differences between the stories of both groups as examined through core Jewish values using first person accounts, videos, and music. Each participant will receive a sample of these lessons to take home.

Speakers

Nina Woldin

Tuesday July 30, 2024 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
UNIV 3048

Teens Product