Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education

After October 7, educators were asked to guide students while still making sense of their own evolving relationship to Israel and to Jewish peoplehood. What does it mean to teach when the ground beneath the curriculum is still shifting? What has changed in Israel education? What do educators need to hear?  As season of six of Adapting comes to a close, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath interviews David Br...

This week on Adapting, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with Ariela Ronay-Jinich, founder and executive director of Olamim, to explore how education helps people navigate the richness of their identities. Drawing on her experiences as a Mexican Jew, educator, and parent, Ariela reflects on how her identities shaped her understanding of learning as a powerful tool for development, belonging, and...

Every few years, Jewish education declares the Hebrew school model overdue for reinvention, yet the same structures persist. That tension sits at the center of this conversation.   In this episode, David Bryfman speaks with Jonathan Krasner , the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Chair of Jewish Education Research at Brandeis University, about the history and possible innovation in Jewish education....

Being a man is not about how tall you are or how much money you make, despite what some voices in the manosphere may claim. It’s about overcoming impulses, taking responsibility, and learning how to show up for others with dignity and care. But in a culture where many boys encounter masculinity first through algorithms, educators and parents are left asking a difficult question: How do we teach yo...

When Israel was created on this exact day 78 years ago, she didn’t come with an instruction manual called “How to Build a Jewish State.” If she had, Jewish educators wouldn’t be grappling today with the tensions between Israel’s Jewish and democratic values, or needing conversations like this week’s episode. This relevant conversation between David Bryfman and Rabbi Josh Weinberg confronts one of...

In this exclusive, uncensored conversation, David Bryfman interviews Alex Sinclair , the Israel educator at the center of a recent controversy. His kippah, embroidered with both Israeli and Palestinian flags, sparked outrage, led to his arrest, and was ultimately returned to him with the Palestinian flag removed.  David and Alex go beyond the incident to explore the deeper, harder questions: How c...

The B-Mitzvah is a defining milestone in American Jewish life, and offers a powerful lens into how Jewish communal spaces can foster inclusion and belonging. In light of their new book, A Different Spirit: Creating Meaningful B’nai Mitzvah for Children With Disabilities , Howard Blas and Ilana Trachtman join Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath in conversation about what it means to build truly inclusive Jew...

This episode features Omri Rose , author of Echoes of October , a graphic novel exploring events leading up to October 7th through four young people from different backgrounds.  In conversation with Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath around the themes of memory and Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, Omri reflects on how the events of October 7th reshaped his understanding of the world, and how we rememb...

Yom HaShoah begins this evening. As we remember and honor the legacy of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with Dave Reckess, a third-generation survivor and executive director of 3GNY.  3GNY empowers grandchildren of survivors to share their family’s Holocaust stories with students to educate and inspire future generations. Samantha and Da...

What does it actually look like to live Judaism in today’s world?   And what does it mean to be part of a collective when we have so many different worldviews, orientations, and perspectives?  In this episode, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath and Cantor Laura Stein explore this question through the lens of practical theology, or looking at how religion is lived, especially when paired with modern reality...

In an urgent episode following the recent attack at Temple Israel in Michigan, David Bryfman sits down with Daniel Held, Chief Program Officer of United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto, whose community has also faced recent antisemitic threats and attacks.   Daniel offers perspective and hope during this challenging time, sharing how educators and parents can help raise Jewish children who are pr...

Mister Rogers famously said that in scary times, look for the helpers. But what happens when the helpers themselves are exhausted?  This week, host Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with certified coach, facilitator, and speaker Shoshana Bloom for what she calls a “love letter to Jewish educators.” Together, they explore some of the immense pressures educators are facing today: burnout, overwhel...

The world feels overwhelming right now. Amid war and uncertainty, Jewish educators are overworked, and parents and students are pummeled with headlines and some with siren alerts.  So how do we return to what makes us human: creativity, play, connection, and belonging?   Stephanie Malia Krauss joins Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath to discuss simple but powerful shifts we can make in the classroom and in...

The goal of a healthy argument in educational settings is to help one grow, learn, strengthen relationships, and gain new perspectives. On this week’s Adapting, Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras share their research of anti-Zionist Jews across the U.S. in conversation with David Bryfman, with the goal to reduce alienation, deepen understanding, and support healthier argument within the Jewish...

Before the Iranian Revolution, nearly 100,000 Jews lived rich, deeply rooted lives in Iran. Activist Tabby Refael, whose family fled in the 1980s, tells Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath in great detail how she holds complex identities of being Iranian, American, and Jewish. With the recent rise in protests against the Islamic Republic, Tabby’s conversation – taking us from Tehran to LA – feels more relev...

What does Jewish belonging look like in an age of scrolling, searching, and self-guided learning?  In this episode, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with independent Jewish educator Netta Asner-Minster , who is inspiring and guiding people on their Jewish journey both in one-to-one classes and on social media to her tens of thousands of followers.  Their conversation enthusiastically dives into...

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue reflects on her journey, from growing up in Tacoma, Washington with a strong sense of communal purpose, to finding belonging and identity, and feeling like a stranger along the way.  In a reflective conversation with David Bryfman, Rabbi Buchdahl provides lessons applicable to any Jewish educator: how pluralism has helped shift her views, the power of mus...

Even with all of the challenges in the world today Jewish education must strive to emphasize the joy and celebration of what it means to be Jewish in today’s world.  The Bible Players are experts at bringing laughter and joy to Jewish education, from using improvisation to teach mitzvot, to playing their own version of Rock, Paper, Scissors (“Candle, Cup, Challah, Bless”) to teach the order of Sha...

October 7th was the largest attempt at genocide against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What does this moment reveal about modern antisemitism and the importance of Holocaust studies today?  Joining Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath this week is Alyssa Weinstein-Sears, a longtime educator and Holocaust and genocide scholar. Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Alyssa emphasizes the goa...

How can we turn collective responsibility and shared values into meaningful action for the future of the Jewish people?  Josh Schalk, Executive Director of Jewish Future Promise, believes the answer begins with how, and why, we give. The Jewish Future Promise invites individuals to commit 50% of legacy giving to Jewish causes, to help ensure that Jewish life, learning, and values endure for the ne...

To kick off the new year, David Bryfman sits down with TAMID Group’s CEO, Yoni Heilman. In a conversation that humanizes one of our own heroes, Yoni shares stories as a soldier in reserve duty after October 7th, giving an honest account about his experiences in the war, about what Zionism means to him, on what Israelis need to know about Jews living outside of Israel, and why he remains an optimis...

In an unscheduled and urgent episode of Adapting , Australian-born CEO of The Jewish Education Project, David Bryfman, sheds light on his own Australian Jewish community, some of whom lost loved ones in this week’s tragic attack at Bondi Beach, and others who are holding hope and praying for the recovery of the wounded. David reflects on the responsibility of educators and parents to care for our...

Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath is joined by another history professor, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, who is the lead scholar of Hidden Voices, an initiative to address how overlooked minority groups are taught in New York City Public Schools, including Jewish history and stories.  As educators, we are invited to ask: What does meaningful Jewish inclusion in education really look like? What core knowledge s...

This week on Adapting, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath speaks with Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College and professor of American Jewish history, to address a pressing challenge facing Jewish education today: educators are not feeling supported enough.  In a conversation encompassing civic education, history, and text study, Zev urges educational institutions to help strengthen their Jewish literacy, w...

David Bryfman engages with Dr. Mijal Bitton, one of today’s leading Jewish scholars and leaders, in an illuminating, nuanced conversation about defining Jewish peoplehood in a time of polarity. Is it better to be inclusive of all beliefs in a community, or to establish clear boundaries and principals? What if it's possible to have both?  Mijal’s unique perspective, shaped by her personal back...