Section archive - Education & Administration

After nearly two months of intense social distancing, we are all finding ourselves longing for things to return to normal — and recognizing that it might be a long while before that happens. But is a return to business as usual really what we should aim for? The extended disruption gives us a chance to take stock of how we’ve operated up to now, consider alternatives and even build a better vision for the future. We’re already seeing that happen across the Jewish world. Jews of all denominations have tapped digital tools to deliver the Torah and connection that had been largely analog. The heartbeats of Jewish life — weddings, funerals, bar and bat mitzvahs, studying Torah, cooking together, telling jokes and daily minyanim — have been reimagined to match the circumstances. And communities are stepping up to support their neediest members in new ways. But those have mostly been quick fixes, responsive and scattershot rather than carefully considered and coordinated. What if we had a shared vision for the Jewish future, so we could do more than just fumble our way there?

Covid-19 spreads through droplets, but kindness can spread through connecting. Corona Connects is making it easy for volunteers to find and connect with organizations that need their help. Stuck at home, thousands of college students and other adults are finding themselves with extra time on their hands and they want to help – but aren’t sure how they can. This website enables them to seamlessly find an opportunity that fits their interest and schedule.

These are trying and unsettling times. Mandatory closures, bans on in-person gatherings, and stay-at-home orders have all radically changed Jewish education across all sectors. CASJE has curated a set of resources below that look at how these changes are testing education in a variety of settings, including: K-12 schooling, after-school learning, early childhood education, and higher education. What key questions and best practices can guide decision-making as we seek to adapt to new circumstances?

In December, Ta’amod: Stand Up! launched its inaugural Train the Trainer program. Ta’amod’s mission is to help Jewish communal institutions develop cultures of safety, respect, and equity. This training equipped a cohort of educators to offer Jewish nonprofits legally compliant harassment prevention training as part of a larger discussion around nurturing respectful workplace culture through a Jewish lens. There is now an emerging national network of professionals certified to deliver training in the Jewish community to nonprofits, foundations, synagogues, and schools.