Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education

For writer and podcaster Zibby Owens ( On Being Jewish Now, Blank: A Novel ), it was never her plan to center her work around Jewish identity. But as the critical need for Jewish representation and storytelling grew, she started to share more Jewish voices and Israel advocacy on her literary platform.  Zibby's work serves as a model of what happens when you follow your convictions. In honor o...

What does it mean to belong to the Jewish people, especially during a time of deep division? This week, Dr. Elana Stein Hain and David Bryfman explore the complex and often misunderstood idea of Jewish peoplehood, and how to navigate responsibility and nurture empathy.  Whether you’re an educator, community leader, or simply grappling with questions of Jewish identity and connection, this episode...

This week on Adapting , David sits down with Rabbi Mark Wildes, the founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience . Together, the pair explore what it really means to inspire Jewish connection in young adults today.   Drawing on insights and Torah from his new book, The Jewish Experience: Discovering the Soul of Jewish Thought and Practice , Rabbi Wildes shares that Jewish education isn’t about molding s...

In the first episode with Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath as our new alternating co-host, Samantha shares the true purpose of Jewish education: to help foster pride, joy, and connection, rather than building identity around fear or hate.  Learn more from Samantha and hear about her journey of becoming a Jewish educator and how she has helped teens connect to the richness of Jewish peoplehood!  This...

This morning, we received joyous news that all 20 living hostages are back home. At the same time, we’re awaiting the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages. So, as a community, how are we supposed to feel? As Jewish educators, how do we create the memory of what October 7th meant for the Jewish people? Joining David Bryfman to discuss this complex moment in history are Rabbi Menachem Cred...

Two years after October 7th, CEO David Bryfman delivers an unscripted, deeply personal message to Jewish educators who have carried impossible burdens through unimaginable circumstances.  This isn't a typical Adapting episode. It's a raw, honest monologue about what it means to educate when the world feels broken. Speaking directly to all stakeholders of Jewish education—defined by anyon...

What does it mean to bring your whole self into Jewish education? Activist, educator, and previously named one of the 50 most influential rabbis in the U.S. by Newsweek , Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, joins Adapting this week for a conversation about authenticity in Jewish education.    Rabbi Dr. Yanklowitz and David Bryfman explore how Jewish education becomes most impactful when educators are “ra...

In this week’s episode, transformative Jewish thinker Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg joins us for a rich conversation about morality and justice, and how we as educators can empower our students to imagine a brighter future.  Rabbi Danya sheds light on how the Torah’s earliest stories, values, and the practice of teshuvah can become teaching tools for possibility, integrity, and ethical living. Just in ti...

How can educators help Jews reclaim their identity from shame, assimilation, and antisemitism, and instead embrace the richness of Jewish tradition in all its complexity? In the Season 6 premiere of Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education , David Bryfman speaks with Sarah Hurwitz, former White House speechwriter and author of Here All Along and the forthcoming As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from...

For the Season 5 finale of Adapting, David sits down with a very special guest— himself! Before leaving for his sabbatical , David answers some of the most common questions he gets asked about Jewish education. From the need for a cohesive vision of Jewish education, to why we need more Jewish educators, to the importance of maintaining optimism, listen to hear the vision for the future of Jewish...

Sabbaticals, break weeks, and paid vacation, oh my! For many, the idea of taking a break from work is daunting. With the disruption in the work environment, how will anything get done? As he prepares his own upcoming sabbatical, David Bryfman discusses the role that rest plays in the workplace with Josh Feldman, CEO and founder of R&R: The Rest of our Lives. In a time marked by burnout and unc...

Imagine a classroom where students face each other, rather than the whiteboard, and discuss David Ben-Gurion and Aristotle, while studying Hebrew and Latin.  Welcome to Emet, the first classical Jewish prep school in the U.S. Founded in 2023 in New York City, Emet is pioneering a model that integrates Jewish wisdom with academic excellence, offering students an education where Judaism is infused s...

In this important episode, David sits down with recipients of the 2024 Shine A Light on Antisemitism Civic Courage Award, Dr. Devin Randolph and Rabbi Dr. Meir Muller. Together, they discuss ways to combat prejudice, racism, and antisemitism by searching for the commonalities in Black and Jewish fights for freedom and liberation.   Dr. Randolph and Rabbi Dr. Muller encourage us to move away from b...

This week on Adapting , David sits down with Dr. Keren Fraiman, Dean of Spertus Institute and winner of the prestigious Ilia Salita Excellence in Research Award, for an essential conversation on why Israel must be front and center in our classrooms—now more than ever. While many Jewish educators recognize the importance of teaching about Israel, research shows that fear of controversy and complexi...

In this special Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzma’ut episode, David sits down with Adam Eilath, Head of School at Wornick Jewish Day School in the Bay Area, to explore the empowering integration of Jewish, Hebrew, and Israel education.   As we commemorate these powerful national holidays, Adam shares how centering Israel in Jewish life and education has successfully inspired stronger Jewish identities...

In this episode, hear from prominent author Dara Horn (“People Love Dead Jews,” “One Little Goat”) about the key issues with the way the Holocaust is discussed and taught today.   David and Dara discuss how the language used in Holocaust education threatens the erasure of modern Jewish culture and perpetuates antisemitism by painting Jews as feeble, helpless, and sometimes even extinct. They refle...

In this episode of Adapting , host David Bryfman sits down with tech-savvy Rabbi Jason Miller, to discuss the role of technology in Jewish education. Rabbi Miller emphasizes the importance of embracing technology—not fearing it—and how it can bring the Jewish community closer together.   If you’re worried about AI and other tech tools replacing Jewish educators, don’t worry! Rabbi Miller asserts t...

This week on Adapting , David Bryfman sits down with... well, robots. In an innovative and fitting approach, he leverages artificial intelligence — a platform called NotebookLM — to make a point about the current landscape of Jewish education and where it’s headed.  Featuring an AI-generated dialogue that tackles critical issues like how Jewish educational institutions are responding to rising ant...

This week, Adapting gets spiritual with Dana Sheanin, CEO of Jewish Learning Works. Dana first shares glimpses into the Jewish Bay Area, marked by political activism and repercussions in education since October 7th.  Dana then explores how reconnecting with spirituality—including relationships with community and the divine—can provide resilience and meaning for Jewish educators and students. To re...

As Purim begins tonight, we reflect on resilience, courage, and hidden miracles—themes that feel more relevant than ever. In this special re-release, Dr. Erica Brown of The George Washington University joins CEO, David Bryfman, and Chief Advancement Officer, Nessa Liben, to explore not only the heroines of the Purim story, but also the heroism of Jewish educators today and Jewish women across the...

From transformative teen programs like RootOne to life-changing Birthright and Masa  trips, studies have shown that Israel educational travel has been the most essential tool for building a lasting connection to Israel. But October 7th has presented a new set of challenges in the field.  This week on Adapting , David Bryfman talks with Anna Langer, who oversees the Israel Education Travel Alliance...

This week on Adapting, in honor of Tu BiShvat, Yoni Stadlin of Adamah challenges us to see our connection to the earth through a Jewish lens.  From his unconventional journey—spending three months living in the canopy of California redwoods—to his belief that Jewish environmentalism should be the default rather than a niche, Yoni reminds us that every breath we take is like receiving CPR from a tr...

Judaism gives us the tools to hold both joy and pain simultaneously. Few understand this better than Rabba Yaffa Epstein, The Jewish Education Project’s Senior Scholar and Educator in Residence, who tragically lost her nephew, Yakir Hexter z”l, while fighting in Gaza one year ago.   Yakir was much more than a soldier—he was a brilliant Torah student, a talented artist, an athlete, and a bartender...

If you’re in a Jewish leadership role, don’t miss this pertinent conversation between David Bryfman and Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, a prominent Jewish leader and author.   Drawing on insights from Rabbi Cosgrove’s new book, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today , they delve into relevant topics, like:  The generational divides within the Jewish community, as younger generations grapple with co...

As the largest Jewish community in Europe and the third largest in the world, French Jewry—primarily of Sephardic descent from North Africa—blends a rich, thriving Jewish heritage with modern challenges. Giving a voice to the French Jewish community on this week’s episode of Adapting , David Bryfman sits down with Devorah Serrao, CEO of Alliance Israélite Universelle, to explore the unique dynamic...