By Gittel R. Goodman, Director, Gan Outdoor Preschool in San Rafael, CA Some of the most important adults in our communities are also the least visible: early childhood educators. They hold children’s big feelings, guide families through uncertainty, and help
By Mary Frank, Education Director at Temple Or Rishon, Orangevale, CA When the opportunity to join the More Than Minds: Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Learning (SESL) cohort arrived in my email inbox from Jewish LearningWorks, I was intrigued. As a
By Liora Brosbe, former Jewish LearningWorks Senior Educator. One of the things I love about engaging in Jewish rituals is that I often have to revisit the “why” and “how” in order to refresh my brain. Especially for rituals that
By Dana Sheanin, Jewish LearningWorks’ CEO and Rabbi Alissa Miller, Rabbi of Community Engagement at Temple Isaiah, Lafayette, CA and Voices for Good Alumna. I have spent almost twenty of my thirty years in Jewish education thinking about teenagers —
By Sabrina May, Director of Preschool at JCC East Bay Just as the Purim joy fades away in the Jewish calendar’s rearview mirror, The Prince of Egypt soundtrack grows louder, and louder within the JCC of the East Bay’s walls.
By Claire Mikowski, Former Jewish LearningWorks Staff & Jewish Family Educator, 2003–06 Not often in my career as a Jewish educator had my legacy called me to action, but when it did, I answered Hineni, here-I-am. That moment took place
By Dona Standel, Director of Development at Camp Ramah in Northern California, and Voices for Good Fellowship Alumna “Ema, I finished the puzzle!”“Wow! And you did it by yourself?”“Yeah! All by myself!”“You worked so hard! Good job boobah.” A typical
By Natalie Boskin, Assistant Director of Youth Programs at Kehillah Community Synagogue in Oakland, California. In the summer of 2021, I reached out to Rachel on a whim because I wanted her perspective on what could only be described as
By Mollie Breger, Camp Tawonga’s Associate Director of Development and Jewish LearningWorks’ Voices for Good Fellowship alumna. Read time: 3 mins. I joined the staff at Camp Tawonga only a few weeks before this feature in the New York Times