Jewish LearningWorks

08/18/2026

Last season we brought a community of educators and leaders to learn with Tali. It was the second or third time we worked with her. We are big fans of the way she bridges the academic world and the lived experiences of Jewish professionals. Mazal Tov on this new role! We are so proud of you.

We are delighted to share exciting news!
Spertus Institute Names Rabbi Dr. Tali Zelkowicz as Inaugural Dean of Jewish Leadership!

This is an important new role at the Institution and will guide the expansion of our leadership and professional studies programs and its reach across the Jewish communal landscape.

Visit https://www.spertus.edu/welcome-tali-zelkowicz/ to learn more about Rabbi Dr. Tali Zelkowicz and her impressive bio https://www.spertus.edu/dr-rabbi-tali-zelkowicz/

Please join us in giving a warm Spertus welcome to Rabbi Dr. Tali Zelkowicz! Mazel Tov!

08/17/2026

The who and the how of Jewish education was discussed and connected last week at our first learning opportunity of the year: Big Tent Teaching! 20 educators and Jewish communal professionals came together at to learn with Lindsey Newman, Director of Education at Be'chol Lashon, and Janine Okmin, Assistant Director at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Language Project. We expanded ideas of Jewish peoplehood, ideated with colleagues, and came away with applicable resources for our classrooms and communities. Did you miss it? We may do an online version of this program. Let us know if you'd like that!

08/14/2026

We often talk about preparing children for success.

We hope they'll become enthusiastic learners, compassionate friends, and engaged members of their communities. We invest in academics, social-emotional learning, and extracurricular opportunities because we want them to thrive. But what if something essential is still missing?

Jewish LearningWorks' Senior Educator, Alisha Pedowitz, shares some of the experiences that have led her to understand spirituality isn't an "extra," and what we are doing as an organization.

By Alisha Pedowitz (she/her), MAEd/MBA, Senior Educator, Jewish LearningWorks I recall the moment where I actually felt that perhaps I was, indeed, a Jewish educator. Circa 2006, and I had spent the majority of my time so far in the Master’s in Education program at the American Jewish University f...

07/28/2026

Today, at staff week, during our strategic plan session… 🤪🧡
We may have solved a few mysteries, and it felt soooooo good!

07/24/2026

Questions about identity, belonging, antisemitism, and democracy are no longer abstract issues discussed in the headlines. They are showing up in our classrooms, youth programs, camps, congregations, and conversations with families. Our learners are paying attention and asking questions. They are turning to you, as a trusted adult, for guidance. But... what do you say? How do you hold space for them? You probably have a lot of questions yourself!

In partnership with star educators and national leaders Kathy Simon, Aaron Dorfman, Rose Silverman, Tara Liberman, Sasha Soykin, and Natalie Boskin, "Critical Conversations for Jewish Education" is Jewish LearningWorks' new learning series designed to help educators explore how to engage learners around democracy, antisemitism, moral complexity, and civic responsibility in a polarized world. Grounded in nonviolent communication and Jewish values, participants will learn alongside leading experts while building practical skills for facilitating thoughtful, courageous conversations with students, families, and colleagues.

Begins August 25, 2026. Learn more and register today:

Critical Conversations for Jewish Education Online, In-Person Democracy & Antisemitism Critical Conversations for Jewish Education is a new learning series designed to help educators explore the challenges most alive in America today, and how they affect children, teens, and families. We will examin...

07/22/2026

According to Jewish education leaders in America, the forces shaping Jewish education right now are:
1. rising antisemitism,
2. urgent questions post-Oct. 7 about Israel and Israel education,
3. the emergence of AI,
4. financial pressures, and staff shortages, and
5. mental health concerns and the continuing search for belonging and meaning.

That is a lot to hold at once. We know it, and we are here to support. Jewish LearningWorks has been tackling all of these items over the last 3 years. Our 2026-27 professional learning programs address them one by one. Check our our calendar of upcoming learning opportunities on our website. jewislearning.works/calendar

It’s been a few years since leaders in different sectors of Jewish education shared a state of the field. Much has changed since many of us first participated in these updates during the pandemic: the Oct. 7 attacks and the experience of rising antisemitism; back-to-back wars in Israel; and the ov...

07/17/2026

How big is your tent?
Start your school year with an exploration of case studies and classroom resources that will help you build inclusive and diverse learning environments for your students.
This is a one-day professional learning event in collaboration with Be'chol Lashon and Hebrew Union College Jewish Language Project, so don't miss the opportunity! August 11, 2026 from 1-4 pm at The Brandeis School of San Francisco. Learn more and register:

Start your school year with an exploration of case studies and classroom resources that will help you build inclusive and diverse learning environments for your students.

07/02/2026

"Six years and three cohorts later, Jewish LearningWorks' Voices for Good Fellowship has become one of the most distinctive leadership development offerings in the Jewish communal world." - Francisco based Jewish Community Federation

The Voices for Good Fellowship didn’t emerge from a strategic planning retreat or a grant opportunity. It grew from a reckoning.

Thank you to Jewish Federation Bay Area for featuring the impact of this reckoning, and for helping us lift up equity in Jewish professional life.

Learn more:

Original article by Jewish Federation Bay Area, published on June 30, 2026.What does it look like when a community truly invests in its women leaders — not just by promoting them, but by creating space for them to discover themselves, build deep collegial bonds, and realize their fullest potential...

06/30/2026

“Since its founding, the State of Israel has served as an anchor for the security of the Jewish people,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the meeting. “Today, we are also strengthening one of the most important pillars of our future — Jewish education.

What are your reactions?

The Israeli government approved a NIS 100 million ($33.4 million) budget, which will be matched by philanthropic donations, to support Jewish day school education in the United States and Canada through the Jewish Federations of North America, whose leaders told eJewishPhilanthropy that this represe...

06/23/2026

"Jewish communities are painfully aware of the dangers of policies and laws that try to legislate minority groups out of the public square. That clarity gives us a particular mandate to combat such efforts." Says Eliana Kayelle and Jonah Dov Pesner in The Forward. For us, this is how Pride becomes a Promise to educate - a moral and ethical obligation that is deeply rooted in Achrayut/Mutual Responsibility. We WILL love and protect each other. 🏳️‍🌈❤

Clergy from all movements are coming together to insist on stronger policies to support LGBTQ+ Jews