Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education

According to this week's Adapting guest, Liron Lipinsky, w​​hen it comes to youth programming, teens come for the social component and stay for the educational experiences. Is this tactic a bait and switch? No. In fact, it's the secret sauce to teen engagement.  In this episode, BBYO's VP of Enrichment discusses with David Bryfman how to leverage informal social experiences to empow...

There is much at stake for the future of Jewish education in these rapidly changing times. Last week, The Jewish Education Project released a comprehensive report, From Census to Possibilities: Designing Pathways for Jewish Learners , on the current state of Jewish supplementary schools in North America, the first of its kind since 2008. On this week's episode of Adapting, David Bryfman delve...

Data can be used as an effective and important tool for measuring success of Jewish engagement. But what are the data points we are looking for? And once we have that data, how can we use it to the best of our ability to better understand our audiences and the factors that motivate them to live a more Jewish life? On this week's episode of Adapting, Jennifer Zwilling draws from her experience...

Today we can interact with machine learning in new, unprecedented ways. Educators can ask a chatbot to write lesson plans at the click of a button. Students can incorporate their selfies into the Exodus story.  Artificial Intelligence has the potential to revolutionize Jewish education, and this emerging technology is also raising ethical concerns amongst educators. This week's Adapting inclu...

The way educators talk about identity has direct impact on how learners see themselves reflected in Jewish tradition. That is why LGBTQ+ advocacy and embracing gender identity work is imperative for Jewish education. Talking to David Bryfman this week on Adapting is Dubbs Weinblatt (they/them), Founder and CEO of Thank You for Coming Out, who advocates for creating a more just and inclusive world....

There are almost one million Israelis living in the United States today. This includes immigrants who came to America as Israelis and discovered their Jewishness in different and exciting ways, and their children who have grown up pretty much like other Jewish Americans... just with Israeli parents. Now these families as Israeli American Jews and their children face a unique set of challenges as t...

Schlep, klutz, shvigger... Yiddish is more than a few kitschy words. The language embodies and celebrates Jewish culture and daily life that is often lost to a younger generation, and can be used as a tool to get learners excited about connecting to Jewish life. This week on Adapting, David Bryfman speaks with Susan Bronson, Executive Director of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA, who advocat...

A rabbi walks into a bar... and opens a Jewish house of learning. Imagine a tavern playing Israeli music, the walls lined with old books written in Hebrew or even Aramaic, and patrons coming together to discuss those texts and other Jewish ideas while sharing food and drink inspired by cuisine of the diaspora. You don't have to imagine a communal Jewish house of learning because it exists, an...

Since the pandemic, the Jewish nonprofit sector has faced the same changes and challenges as the rest of the working world: the Great Resignation, shifted expectations of work, and Gen Z entering the workforce, to name a few. Joining this week’s episode of Adapting is Amy Born, Chief Strategy & Impact Officer from Leading Edge, an organization that supports Jewish nonprofits on their quests to...

Empowerment. Ownership of your own destiny. Social engines of change. These were factors that spurred on the Zionist youth movement phenomenon and established their prominence in the 20th century. As historian Walter Laqueur once said, "[The youth movement] won't be merely a footnote in the story of the Jewish people, but a whole chapter." But can Zionist youth movements succeed in...

Since the early 20th century, Jewish and Zionist youth movements have inspired individuals to come together as a collective around a shared aspiration. Today, in the age of social media and an overwhelming number of causes to support, they are more relevant than ever, but in some ways more challenged, as they strive to activate young people to speak out and actualize a vision for the future.   Joi...

Summer camp creates a unique environment that resembles a Jewish utopia inside a bubble. It's a culture built on kindness and connection without outside academic or societal pressure, and in many cases, access to technology, that enhances cherished face time with friends as well as young staff members who serve as mentors. Plus, campers enjoy aspects of Jewish life they may not experience at...

Jewish day schools continue to be successful as they evolve with the changing needs of today’s families. Sharon Freundel, Managing Director of The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) suggests that by doubling down on their strengths, acknowledging their challenges, and embracing the opportunity to transform, sometimes radically their approach, that Jewish day schools will continue to evol...

From the classroom to camp, at the top and the bottom of an institution, anybody can be a great leader. As we look at what makes an adaptive leader, we see that what matters is learners feeling "implicated and activated" to create an expanded identity within a collective framework, the ultimate purpose of Jewish education. In this week's inspirational episode of Adapting, David Bryf...

Think of a time from your childhood when song helped you learn, whether it was memorizing all 50 states in the U.S., Jewish prayers, or the ABC's. How effective was learning that topic through song? How did it feel to recall this? Music not only helps us learn, but also builds connection, boosts happiness, and holistically embodies learners, well into adulthood. We’re excited to kick off Adap...

When the world went into lockdown in 2020, there was a lot of uncertainty, but there was also a great deal of innovation and adaptability, especially in education.  This week's episode of Adapting is a re-release on this very topic, with a fresh and reflective introduction by David Bryfman. On May 13, 2020, just six weeks into the pandemic, David Bryfman kicked off the first episode of Adapti...

Connecting with Jewish teens has always been a challenge, but today it brings more questions than ever, as teens have exponentially more demands on their time and attention than in decades prior. The work of engaging Jewish teens is deeply personal, with youth-serving professionals being called upon to tap into the emotional as much as the practical in order to meaningfully and effectively work wi...

It is both an exciting and perhaps terrifying era for Jewish educators when digital technology is empowering learners in their own learning. Rather than being seen as a fountain of knowledge that learners turn to for information, 21st century educators must adopt a different set of skills – including flipping their classrooms, utilizing principles of gaming, and enabling people to learn in ways th...

Death and dying are topics that are often avoided, both in the world at large and in the realm of Jewish education. Rabbi Melanie Levav—award-winning educator, chaplain, and certified social worker—not only makes these topics easier to discuss, but suggests that Jewish educators cannot and should not avoid the topic. In this week’s episode of Adapting, Rabbi Melanie and David Bryfman discuss her w...

Antisemitism is often referred to as the world’s oldest hatred, and perhaps it is not surprising that it's rearing its ugly head again in popular and sporting culture today. Now, with Ye, Kyrie, and Dave Chappelle at the forefront of educators' minds, it is as important as ever to analyze and discuss these issues with their learners – and the broader Jewish community must support and emp...

Jewish Day Schools are having a celebrated moment, but will they be viable in 20 years? Are the trends and challenges that may impact day schools in the future...leadership turnover, a quality educator pipeline, and affordability, being sufficiently acknowledged and addressed?  In this week's episode of Adapting, David Bryfman explores these topics and more with Dr. Chaim Botwinick, an execut...

Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras want society to argue more. Really! The two veteran educators believe that arguments can be a constructive force in Israel education. Robbie and Abi, authors of the book  Stories For The Sake of Argument , explain why argument does not always have to end in divisiveness, and how a healthy argument can bring people of opposing view points closer together. This...

In this episode of Adapting David Bryfman speaks with Noam Weissman of OpenDor Media, an experienced Israel educator and podcaster in his own right. They discuss how Jewish educators can use the upcoming Israeli elections as a teaching tool to further engage students with Israel and the complexities of Israeli society. Noam shares his affection for Israeli political ads, which OpenDor Media has tr...

The ecosystem of Jewish education depends on the contributions of various stakeholders and philanthropy is playing an increasing role in this landscape. This episode of Adapting explores some of the passion, concerns, and challenges that funders think about when making their contributions to Jewish causes. In conversation with Shawna Goodman Sone , raised in Montreal and now living in Israel, Davi...

For what was once regarded as fluffy education, experiential Jewish education has grown exponentially in recent decades. It’s dramatic rise has also surfaced many challenges for Jewish educators, academics, and those who support them. Does experiential Jewish education need a set of formal standards for educators and learners? And if so, who should be responsible for crafting these standards in a...