Building a resilient community requires the commitment and skilled presence of those leading Jewish organizations.
Last year we:
Curated Israel educational resources using a learner centered approach to understanding the history of Israel and the ongoing war.
Provided one-on-one support to 140 educators, clergy, and administrators across Bay Area Jewish educational settings to help them navigate their own response to the escalating crisis in Israel.
Hosted a workshop series with Israeli-American educator, Dasee Berkowitz, offering educators communication strategies for staying grounded during hard conversations about the war.
Continued to advocate for increased philanthropic support of local communal organizations in the face of declining support since October 7.
Creating space for divergent viewpoints while staying grounded, and responding to rising antisemitism has been essential, particularly for those engaging teens.
Last year we:
Partnered with BaMidbar Therapy to offer 9 educators a workshop exploring the protective factors, and risk factors in the context of Jewish values to expand our understanding of teen mental health and wellness.
Trained another 16 individuals in Youth Health Mental First Aid, joining the 338 others we have certified over the past four years.
Hosted a strengths-based wellness training facilitated by Dr. Betsy Stone to offer 12 youth professionals new ways to help adolescents focus on strengths rather than deficits during challenging times.
Celebrated the 4th presentation of the Ruby Award, honoring Adam Lowy from Congregation Beth Sholom, where we learned about the intersection of belonging and well-being from Yehuda Webster from Kirva.
“I have gained so much from the professional development of Jewish LearningWorks… I am working with teens, and it has never been harder to be a teenager, for new reasons! No matter how many skills I have, I am outmatched for the challenges they are facing. Getting up-to-date training, and being in conversation with other educators has been essential.”
-Brady Gill, Assistant Camp Director of Teen Programs at Camp Tawonga, Tuolumne, CA
