Oct. 26, 2016
Dear subscriber, 


MOFET JTEC Portal Newsletter

Dear Subscriber,

We are delighted to send you the latest issue of The MOFET Jewish Education Portal resource listing.

The current bulletin contains information items about Israel education, Jewish campus organizations, supplementary education and new exciting learning resources along with some interesting research reports.

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Wishing you great teaching and learning,

Reuven Werber

The MOFET JTEC Portal Team

October 26, 2016 Jewish Portal of Teacher Education
Please note: a complete list of recent additions to the portal follows the Featured Items.
October 2016
Featured Items
Israel Education at a Crossroads between Transmission and Transition: A Comparative Case Study of Three Jewish Day High Schools
This comparative case study examines how the intractable Arab-Israeli conflict influences teaching and learning in three Jewish day high schools in the US representing three different populations: Yeshiva High (Orthodox), Conservative High (Conservative), and Community High (pluralistic). Three research questions guided the work: What do students learn about the Arab-Israeli conflict and why? How do teachers’, students’, and the schools’ cultural, pedagogical, and/or ideological commitments regarding Israel impinge on the Israel curriculum presented in the classroom? How do teachers and students manage and respond to classroom discussions about controversial Israeli issues? The literature that informs this study derives from research on the teaching and learning of controversial issues and from the idea of intractable conflict, which occupies a central place in Israeli society. Data was gathered over a year-and-a-half of fieldwork, which involved classroom observations, multiple teacher and student interviews, and the collection of instructional materials.
Emory's Holocaust Denial on Trial Website Redesigned and Relaunched
Holocaust Denial on Trial, a website founded by Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt to refute the misleading claims of Holocaust deniers, has been redesigned and relaunched. Created in 2005 through a partnership between Emory and the university’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, the website catalogues the legal and evidentiary material arising from David Irving v. Penguin UK and Deborah Lipstadt, a libel claim brought against Lipstadt and her publisher in 1996 by Holocaust denier Irving. Materials from the 32-day trial were posted on the Holocaust Denial on Trial (HDOT) website to provide perpetual access for scholars and the interested public and quality resources to combat Holocaust denial. The website’s redesign and relaunch are timed to coincide with release of the movie “Denial,” a feature film based on Lipstadt’s experiences during the case, which she chronicled in her 2005 book, “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier.”
AVI CHAI Case Study Webinar Available: Hebrew Instruction at Jewish Day Schools
As evidenced by the high rate of participation in an AVI CHAI webinar yesterday, Hebrew instruction is a topic which elicits passion in many Jewish day school educators and leaders. The webinar – hosted by Dr. Michael Berger, AVI CHAI Program Officer – sought to illuminate the challenges and possibilities of JDS Hebrew language education in the JDS classroom. It was based off two case studies on this topic from “How Schools Enact Their Jewish Missions: 20 Case Studies of Jewish Day Schools”: “Meshuga La Davar: Hebrew,” about The Epstein School, by Dr. Michael Berger and Pearl Mattenson, and “A School That Places Israel at Its Center,” about the Golda Och Academy, by Dr. Jack Wertheimer, who served as Project Director of the case studies project. Speaking on the webinar were Stan Beiner and Dr. Joyce Raynor, former heads of Epstein and Golda Och, respectively. Beiner is now a consultant to non-profit organizations and schools, and Dr. Raynor currently serves as the Head of School of the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus in Las Vegas, NV.
USCJ Announces USY Reorganization to Strengthen Its Member Congregations’ Capacity for Teen Engagement
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) announced today a reorganization of its youth movement, United Synagogue Youth (USY), to better achieve USY’s mission of helping kehillot (sacred communities) empower Jewish youth to develop leadership skills, a sense of belonging to the Jewish people, and a commitment to inspired Jewish living through meaningful and fun experiences rooted in authentic Jewish values. Guided by USY’s mission and vision, a committee spent the past several months collecting feedback from more than 1,000 parents, chapter staff and current USYers to evaluate the organization’s current strategy, business process and structural design. The committee was led by professional and lay leaders and included congregants, rabbis, teens, alumni and youth professionals.
The Tikkun of the Jewish Journey Project
Rabbi Joy Leasked herself founded the Jewish Journey Project, an initiative designed to “revolutionize Jewish education for children,” five years ago. The JJP is rooted in a flexible model for children in 3rd-7th grades, and offers courses held at several partner synagogues and at the JCC Manhattan weekly from Monday-Thursday. The program takes advantage of rich opportunities to engage outside of the classroom, making use of the vast Jewish resources of New York City. In addition, the Jewish Journey Project offers small classes and different learning modalities aimed at resonating with all families, including those with children who have special needs. There’s also a learning specialist on the JJP staff that can help families choose which classes might work best for children.
MASA Israel English Teaching Fellowships in Israel Now Accepting Applications for 2017-2018 Cohort
The Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program is a partnership between Masa Israel Journey, Israel’s Ministry of Education, and The Jewish Agency for Israel. The prestigious fellowship provides young Jews from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand with a 10-month experience living in Israel and volunteering through teaching English in schools. The program aims to close the educational achievement gap in Israel’s education system through small group instruction and tutoring at schools identified as in need of additional assistance by the Israeli Ministry of Education. The Fellowship runs from late August to June. College graduates ages 21 to 30 who are interested in teaching English to Israeli children are invited to apply to participate in the 2017-2018 class of Masa Israel Teaching Fellows.
October 2016
All Recent Items
Trends in Jewish Education
Portraits of Jewish Learning
Chabad On Campus - The Hertog Study
Hillel Survey shows a Relationship between Exposure to Hillel and their Relationship to Jewish Life on Campus
Rethinking the Education of Cultural Minorities to and from Assimilation: A Perspective from Jewish Education

Formal Education

Implications of Heritage Language Research for Hebrew Teaching and Learning
The Tikkun of the Jewish Journey Project
Contribution of Dance Studies from the Point of View of Religious Dance Teachers in Formal Education
Students' Understanding of Rabbinics

Informal Education

USCJ Announces USY Reorganization to Strengthen Its Member Congregations’ Capacity for Teen Engagement
FJC’s Newest Incubator to Launch 5 New Specialty Camps
COJECO B'nai Mitzvah Family Journey

In-Service Training

JCC Association and Foundation for Jewish Camp Launch Newest Cohort of Lekhu Lakhem
AVI CHAI Case Study Webinar Available: Hebrew Instruction at Jewish Day Schools

Education & Administration

Announcing the Jewish School Census
JData Revealed – Fall, 2016
JEIC Announces New Team Challenge
Seven Keys for Success of Jewish Day School Leaders Unveiled in New Study

Israel Education

Na’ale Elite Academy Registration Open for 2017-2018 School Year
Fostering Long-Term Engagement with Israel is Simpler Than You Might Think
Israel American Council Keshet Sefarim
Israel Education at a Crossroads between Transmission and Transition: A Comparative Case Study of Three Jewish Day High Schools
A Culture of Israel Education
Roots Israel - Study abroad in Israel
Next Step: Israel Internships
MASA Israel English Teaching Fellowships in Israel Now Accepting Applications for 2017-2018 Cohort

Conferences & Events

Songleader Boot Camp National Conference
Hundreds Gather for Inaugural Service Matters: A Summit on Jewish Service

Learning Resources

Coming Soon: My Name is Israel, a DIY Exhibition on Israeli Aid
MOOCs and Jewish Studies: A Match Made in Digital Heaven
Emory's Holocaust Denial on Trial Website Redesigned and Relaunched
October 2016
 
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