The commitment to lifelong learning is an essential part of Jewish education, not just for children and teens, but for teachers, program directors, camping and youth professionals. For 125 years, Jewish LearningWorks has served as a wellspring of top-notch professional learning for Bay Area Jewish organizations.

Customized Training Programs

For staff teams and board of directors at Jewish educational organizations

Jewish LearningWorks is making customized professional development training more accessible to you, and your team members in 2024-25. Explore our catalog of professional development workshops for teachers, educational leaders and boards at Jewish schools, and educational programs. In it you will find the highest caliber single or multi-session training programs available, when you need them, in-person or online, presented by a vetted roster of colleagues.

Through this online catalog, you will be able to connect with the presenter of your choice, giving you the opportunity to enter into a relationship, and make further customizations. You will hire, schedule and plan for your training together. Your contractor will invoice you, and you will pay them directly.

Trainings topics include, but are not be limited to:

  • Teaching pedagogy
  • Curriculum design
  • Developmental stages and needs
  • Disability inclusion
  • Social, Emotional and Spiritual Learning
  • Project-based learning
  • Classroom management
  • Youth Mental Health First Aid
  • Strategic program design
  • Leadership and communal development
  • Self-care and reflective practice for teachers
  • Metrics and evaluation
  • Planning for staff development
  • Dialogue Across Difference
  • Jewish content, themes and ideas
  • On the Map, Israel education

Due to the generosity of the Jewish Federation, Jewish LearningWorks is able to reimburse Bay Area organizations for 60% of the cost (up to $1,500) for a single early childhood education training, and/or an inclusion training, during the 2024-25 school year. Subsidies will be processed and granted only after your organization has been billed by the workshop presenter. To learn more or request a reimbursement, please contact Liora Brosbe at liora@jewishlearning.works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Over our decades of experience in training Jewish educators we have learned that there is not a one-size-fits-all professional development option for all professionals or all organizations. Each congregation, JCC, camp, or independent program has specific training needs to complement the existing talents of your team. Customized training programs suited to serve the unique needs of your staff team, your learners, and your setting.

Jewish LearningWorks is currently curating a catalogue of contractors, trusted colleagues with expertise in different areas who will prepare and facilitate your training.

We have run trainings for as few as three and as many as 50 people. Each training and trainer will specify the minimums and maximums, however you are in charge of identifying who are the right members of your team to participate.

In addition to in-person programs, the team at Jewish LearningWorks has offered on-line training programs for Jewish educators since 2017 led by our staff, and contractors as well. We are proud of the quality our trainers offer both online, and in person.

That said, we know that some things are, truly, better in person. For Bay Area organizations, many trainers are able to do in-person training. Travel fees may apply.

Yes! You may be able to do this. We recommend that you ask the trainer you have chosen for your training.

We love partnership and might even be able to help you identify an organization interested in the same type of training.

Fees are set by the trainer and the format chosen. Some have a flat fee, others an hourly rate. For in-person trainings, some trainers will also have a travel fee.

Subsidies: Due to the generosity of the Jewish Federation, Jewish LearningWorks is able to reimburse Bay Area organizations for 60% of the cost (up to $1,500) for a single early childhood education training, and/or an inclusion training, during the 2024-25 school year.

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact Liora Brosbe, Senior Educator, at liora@jewishlearning.works.

Featured Customized Training Clients

Professional Development Workshops

Our year-round training opportunities empower educators in all settings to increase their knowledge, build new skills and explore new tools. They also build a sense of collegial community.

Anchors or Armor: Helping Jewish Adolescents Cultivate Steadiness in Times of Unsteadiness

November 21 from 11:00 am – 1:30 pm | IN-PERSON

How do we navigate conflict in moments of uncertainty? How might we lead ourselves and our teens through trauma-informed and healing-centered ways that are anchored in humanizing the real stuff (fear, anxiety, moral injury, excitement, possibility) that arises with change? This program will focus on tangible steps to help the youth and teens we work with navigate unsteadiness and unpredictability, and to move through it all, together. 

Bay Area Jewish Youth Resilience Roundtable

Monthly Roundtable and Workshops | ONLINE & IN-PERSON

Those of us who work with adolescents know that we are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. And, those of us who work within Jewish education, and engagement are also keenly aware of the protective factors identified by the Harvard Resiliency Study for bolstering resilience, and well-being.

To respond to this crisis, and anchor our shared work in the latest research as well as Jewish wisdom, Jewish LearningWorks is inviting the Bay Area community of professionals who work with Jewish adolescents to gather, connect and learn at a monthly resilience roundtable co-facilitated by network members, and a series of expert-led workshops from September 2024 to May 2025.

Israel LearningLab for Jewish Educators

6-Month Cohort Learning Experience | ONLINE & IN-PERSON

Are you struggling with Israel education? Are you looking for a space to explore the needs of your learners, and delve into your own attitudes, and approaches for teaching Israel? Jewish LearningWorks is proud to offer a new Israel learning lab for Jewish educational leaders, led by Dr. Sivan Zakai, Dr. Kathy Simon, Dr. Lesley Litman, and Dr. Kathy Schwartz.
This collaborative learning platform is designed to benefit all Jewish educators, regardless of their educational setting. However, the program is geared toward educators of grade-school aged children, and above. Begins on November 18, 2024, and concludes in May 2025.

Soul FULL: Unlocking the Neuroprotective Potential of Jewish Education

Professional Gathering | IN-PERSON

Following up from our successful Elevate 2020 event, Jewish LearningWorks is delighted to host Soul FULL: Unlocking the Neuroprotective Potential of Jewish Education. This event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Lisa Miller, as well as afternoon workshops led by Meg Adler, Josh Feldman, Arya Marvazy, and Leora Wolf-Prusan.

  • Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025.
  • Time: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
  • Location: The David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704).
  • Aimed at: Educators, clergy, and other communal stakeholders who lead Jewish educational programs.
  • Invitation only: Our venue has limited capacity, as such, this is an invitation-only event.