Critical Conversations for Jewish Education

Online, In-Person

Democracy & Antisemitism

Our Critical Conversations for Jewish Education initiative is a new learning series designed to help educators explore the challenges most alive in America today, and how they are affecting children, teens, and families. We will examine how and why we, as Jewish educators, can help create space for essential conversations about democracy and antisemitism – topics that can feel too complex in an increasingly polarized climate, yet demand our full participation and humanity.

When: Sessions run from August 2026 to January 2027.

Where: In-person sessions in the Bay Area, and online sessions.

Hillel used to say: in a place where there are no people, strive to be a person.

Pirkei Avot 2:5

This series will lean into nonviolent communication as the foundation of our learning, followed by workshops on democracy and antisemitism, as we consider how to help each other, and our learners, have the critical conversations taking place in our classrooms and communities today.

  • Aimed at: Educational leaders, teachers and administrators. Open to professionals working with learners of all ages, across educational settings.
  • Series structure:
    • A required foundational unit on addressing moral questions in the classroom. Online and in-person seminars available.
    • Two workshops focused on democracy and antisemitism. You may select one or both workshops upon registration. Each workshop includes online and in-person sessions.
    • A closing online seminar.
  • Facilitated by Alisha Pedowitz, Senior Educator, Jewish Learning Works. The seminars and workshops will be led by:

Learning Arc & Program Details

Required Foundational Unit: Moral Questions in the Classroom

Critical Conversations for Jewish Education is built around the discussion of questions that are crucial for our community, but that can also be challenging. The more skill we bring into these conversations, the more fruitful they can be. Together, we’ll build a communications foundation to approach potentially controversial topics for us as educators, and our students. We will practice:

  • Framing issues as questions to focus on ongoing inquiry rather than immediate side-taking
  • Listening to divergent views to build our curiosity and empathy muscles
  • Not having an answer for every question posed by our students, and use these moments to prompt further curiosity and critical inquiry

Three opportunities to attend:

  • Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (10 am – 1:30 pm) at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek
  • Thursday, August 27, 2026 (10 am – Noon PT) Online
  • Thursday, December 13, 2026 (10 am – Noon PT) Online

We strongly encourage you to attend in-person if you are able. All sessions led by Kathy Simon, Ph.D, communications expert and non-violent communication certified trainer.

Attendance is required to opt for any of the workshops that follow in this series.

Workshop Option 1: Critical Conversations About Democracy

American democracy is under growing strain. Polarization, declining trust, attacks on elections and rising extremism threaten a system that has enabled remarkable progress for nearly 250 years.

The Jewish community, alongside many other communities, has found a home in America, and that shared experience carries both opportunity and responsibility. In this two-part workshop – pre- and post- midterm elections – we will consider the role Jewish organizations have to play in helping children and teens understand the importance of protecting democracy. Together we will explore:

  • What is our responsibility as Jewish educators to protect democracy?
  • What role does democracy and civic engagement play in Jewish education?
  • Why is democracy relevant to Jewish education?
  • What values and skills should we be cultivating with our students to help uphold a democratic system?

Two sessions:

  • Tuesday, October 20, 2026: This pre-elections session will focus on the abstract questions and whys of our responsibility as Jewish educators.
    • Time: 10 am – 1 pm
    • Place: JCC East Bay
  • Friday, November 16, 2026:  This post-elections session will dive into what our responsibilities are going forward, and what those responsibilities look like in Jewish education and Jewish learning.
    • Time: 10 – 11:30 am PT
    • Place: Online

These conversations will create respectful space to address and acknowledge different perspectives and political options in order to be curious with one another, ask questions, and explore how we in turn do the same for our students – all of which are essential skills for upholding the promise of democracy.

Both sessions will be led by Aaron Dorfman of  A More Perfect Union.

Workshop Option 2: Critical Conversations About Antisemitism

This interactive training equips you with the knowledge and practical strategies needed to recognize, understand, and effectively support Jewish students and families in the face of rising antisemitism.

Participants will explore the psychological impacts of antisemitism, as well as other forms of hate and common challenges faced by Jewish youth today. We will also explore practical approaches to supporting Jewish students and educators.

While centered on the experiences of Jewish students, the principles discussed are broadly applicable to supporting all students affected by bias, discrimination, and identity-based harm.

Two sessions:

  • Thursday, December 17, 2026: Standing Up Against Antisemitism while Building Solidarity, led by Rose Silverman.
    • Time: 10 am – 1:30 pm
    • Place: In-person (location to be determined)
  • Thursday, January 7, 2027: Antisemitism & Mental Health led by Dr. Tara Liberman and Dr. Aleksandra Sokin of the Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative.
    • Time: 10 – 11:30 am PT
    • Place: Online

Optional Closing Lunch & Learn

This closing unit will ground our learning with discussions about applications.

  • Tuesday, January 26, 2027
    • Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm PT
    • Place: Online

Attendance is optional.

Registration

Jewish LearningWorks offers all of our programs at a subsidized rate due to the generous support of our donors. As an organization that primarily serves the San Francisco Bay Area, and receives funding support from donors in the Bay Area, we are happy to offer an additional 18% subsidy to educators who live in the 9 Bay Area counties and/or work for organizations that primarily serve the 9 Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, Sonoma).

Enrollment Fees

Bay Area Organizations: The cost for participants from Bay Area organizations is $218 for the whole series, or $144 per workshop. 

Non-Bay Area Organizations: The cost for participants from Bay Area organizations is $260 for the whole series, or $170 per workshop. 

The required foundational unit, and the optional closing seminar are offered at no-cost for all participants.

Registration will open soon.

Questions

Please contact Alisha Pedowitz, Senior Educator, at alisha@jewishlearning.works for any questions or more information.

All trainings at Jewish LearningWorks are subsidized by our generous donors. If the cost is a barrier to your participation, do not hesitate to contact us.

About Our Presenters

Kathy Simon, Ph.D., is passionate about teaching skills for communicating across difference, whether the differences arise across the kitchen table, in the classroom, the board room, or across religious, racial, and political divides. Her work draws on the insights of Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication and incorporates decades of experience as an educator, non-profit director, parent, and partner. She is a certified trainer with the international Center for Nonviolent Communication.

Aaron Dorfman is Founder and Executive Director of A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy. Prior to launching A More Perfect Union, he served as President of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, Vice President for Programs at American Jewish World Service, and Director of Informal Education at Temple Isaiah of Contra Costa County. Aaron serves on the Advisory Board of the Safety Respect Equity Network and on the board of Policy Impact. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife Talia Milgrom-Elcott and their three daughters.

Rose Silverman is a facilitator, trainer, and capacity-builder, having spent the last eight years working with local and national Jewish organizations to strengthen their anti-oppression and political education programs. She is currently the Program Manager for the Collaborative for Jewish Organizing, a network of nine independent Jewish organizations working in 16 states and the District of Columbia, organizing Jews and non-Jewish allies to work to advance social, racial, and economic justice, building power for the long term. In her role with the Collaborative, Rose is focused on leading their work fighting antisemitism. Rose previously worked as a consultant with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) to support their anti-racism training programs. She was the Chicago Senior Program Director for Avodah, supporting young Jewish adults in building the tools needed to sustain justice work. While at Avodah, Rose also designed and led Avodah’s first-ever antisemitism training for organizational partners. She continues to consult on this project. Rose is based in Chicago and uses she/her pronouns.

Dr. Tara Liberman (Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative) is a licensed psychologist in private practice in New York City, specializing in psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults. She serves on the faculty of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program at the William Alanson White Institute, where she teaches and supervises psychology and social work trainees. She is a candidate in the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Throughout her career, Dr. Liberman has partnered with both public and independent schools as an in-house psychologist and consultant, helping school communities navigate crises, process collective loss, and foster healing and resilience.

Dr. Aleksandra (Sasha) Soykin (Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative) is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in the Bay Area, California, specializing in trauma, grief, chronic illness and pain, and health psychology. She is a founding member and Director of Operations of the Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative (JCMHI), where she oversees clinical operations, program development, volunteer clinician engagement, and strategic initiatives. Since JCMHI’s founding following the events of October 7, 2023, she has helped lead its growth into an international initiative providing free, clinician-led support groups, educational programming, research, and rapid response efforts for Jewish communities worldwide. Dr. Soykin develops and delivers trainings and presentations on the psychological impacts of antisemitism and identity-based hate, trauma, resilience, community healing, and supporting Jewish individuals and communities during times of collective stress.