NewCAJE17: 50th Anniversary: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

Teach the Shoah: Giving Voice to Their Stories

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Participants will use Holocaust testimony as well as images of an artifact to create a brief story as a tool for teaching the Holocaust. We will follow the approach of Teach the Shoah, first listening to a story and unpacking the process behind it, and then trying it ourselves.

Speakers

Tanya Wisoker

Adult Educator, Storyteller

Tanya Wisoker is a Jewish educator, playwright, and storyteller.
Tanya is a Board Member, Instructor, and Facilitator for Teach the Shoah, bringing the testimonies of those who experienced the Holocaust, their descendants, and anyone committed to the task of bearing witness to li... Read More →

Tanya Wisoker Giving Voice to Their Stories NewCAJE2026 pdf

Being Aware of Your Audience Teach the Shoah pdf

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
College Hall Rm 347

History, Storytelling

Company History, Storytelling
Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Track Holocaust
Type Main

9:00am EDT

Building Muscles for Challenging Conversations: Israel and Zionism

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

College Hall Rm 340

Struggling to talk with your students about Israel, Palestine, and Zionism? During this session we will explore how to approach this in a dual-narrative context. You can expect a collaborative session on utilizing primary sources and varied learning modalities to create a supportive environment promoting individualized understanding and safe discourse. I will share student projects from this school year to show how each student emerged after this unit with a personalized and rigorous understanding of their relationship, in this moment, to Israel and Zionism.

Speakers

Samara Weinberg

Sami Weinberg is a Resident at Makom Community in Philadelphia, as well as the Anafim and Teen educator. She has worked with just about every age and grade from 2 years old to teens. Sami grew up all over the East Coast United States. She loves anything to do with yarn, clay, or... Read More →

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
College Hall Rm 340

Israel, Teaching Tools & Techniques

Company Teaching Tools & Techniques
Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students
Track Israel
Type Main

9:00am EDT

Writing Your Own Torah: Creative Expression as a Source for Discovery

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

College Hall Rm 323

“…Write this song for yourselves and teach it to the Children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this poem may be My witness within the people of Israel.” (Deut. 31:19).

This last commandment in the Torah tells us to each write our own Torah, to teach it, and bring it to the mouths of others. Art is a powerful tool to bring our unique selves into the text and to engage and empower our students.

Andrea will share from her Torah song cycle “She Flows From Eden” and demonstrate techniques that inspire her writing process. After a text study, participants will tap into their own artistic expression, discovering and sharing insights gained through individual writing.

Speakers

Andrea Shupack

Cantorial Soloist

Andrea Shupack is a cantorial soloist, musician, educator, and storyteller in the Pacific Northwest. She is studying for Rabbinic and Cantorial ordination at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York. For the past 25 years she has worked in Conservative, Reform, and Renewal communities... Read More →

NewCAJE Writing Your Own Torah handout 2026 pdf

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
College Hall Rm 323

Jewish Life & Identity, Spirituality/Tefilah

Company Jewish Life & Identity, Spirituality/Tefilah
Audience Adult Students, Teachers, Middle School, High School, Not Age-Specific
Type Main

9:00am EDT

Adding Elders to the Classroom: Enhancing Jewish Learning with Intergenerational Connections.

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

College Hall Rm 348

DOROT has been connecting generations for nearly 50 years for meaningful learning and Jewish engagement. Students of all ages can grow and deepen their relationship to Jewish traditions and text through ongoing relationships with older adults (65+). Learn practical ways to incorporate intergenerational learning into your Pedagogy. In this session we will experience and discuss tools to inspire identity formation and joyous Jewish learning through intergenerational connections.

Speakers

Shai Rosenfeld

Director - Intergenerational Program Enagagement, DOROT

Shai is the Director of Intergenerational Program Engagement for DOROT, a non-profit social services agency in New York City with a mission to bring generations together for mutually beneficial learning and connection. He and his team create spaces of play and possibility for youth... Read More →

Texts pdf

DOROT – Intergenerational Practices, NewCAJE17 2026 pdf

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
College Hall Rm 348

Teens/Youth Engagement, Teaching Tools & Techniques

Company Spirituality/Tefilah, Teaching Tools & Techniques
Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Type Main

11:00am EDT

Holocaust Discussion Hands-on Tools

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 319

This interactive session equips educators with practical, ready-to-use tools for engaging students in meaningful Holocaust education. Through art, poetry, storytelling, and guided discussion strategies, participants will learn how to foster empathy, critical thinking, resilience, and historical understanding in age-appropriate ways. Educators will leave with hands-on activities and resources designed to help students connect Holocaust lessons to contemporary issues of identity, courage, kindness, and human responsibility.

Speakers

Jennifer Alembik

Cheryl is an educator and advocate for Holocaust remembrance and youth empowerment. She is the Founder and President of the Holocaust Youth Survivors Legacy Foundation, Inc., where she creates arts- and poetry-based programs that bring survivor voices to students. Her work is dedicated... Read More →

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 319

History, Big Picture of Jewish Education

Company History, Big Picture of Jewish Education
Audience Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers, Principals
Track Holocaust
Type Main

11:00am EDT

To Be A Free People - Telling Our Story Through Israel's Declaration of Independence

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 347

Struggling to pack in a lot of Jewish history in already limited time?
What better way than through the medium of Israel's Declaration of Independence? The first 10 statements or mini paragraphs are about us as a People - our History, Culture, great teachers and Rabbis, and so much more.This project-based program helps middle school students research and create mini posters while learning about the extraordinary history of our People.

Speakers

Ilona Shechter

teacher, Cong. Sinai

Ilona Shechter is a semi-retired Jewish Studies and Hebrew teacher who has been in the classroom for over 40 years. She has taught everything from Kindergarten to Adult education but her true love is Middle School. Her passion is Holocaust education.

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 347

History, Jewish Life & Identity

Company Jewish Life & Identity, History
Audience Middle School
Track Israel
Type Main

11:00am EDT

Judaism and Positive Intelligence - Gym for the Soul

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 340

Discover a powerful "operating system" for spiritual life by integrating Positive Intelligence (PQ) with Jewish tradition. This interactive workshop will help participants identify their saboteurs (internal critics) and learn strategies for grounding themselves and amplifying spirituality in their lives and the lives of their students or school. This session will help you transform ritual into a mental fitness gym and move from self-generated distraction to soulful, decisive action by using Jewish PQ reps like sensory anchors to activate the five Sage Powers and ancient Jewish values.

Speakers

Bonnie Cooper

Life Coach, Pre K Teacher, Religious school teacher, Rumson Jewish Center @ CBI

Bonnie Cooper is currently a Preschool teacher at Rumson Jewish Center and Congregation B'nai Israel as well as A Religious School Teacher for Judaics for 3rd and 4th graders. She is also a Certified Life Coach focusing on Positive Intelligence.

Positive Intelligence and Judaism for NewCAJE pdf

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 340

Self-Care/Wellbeing, Spirituality/Tefilah

Company Self-Care/Wellbeing, Spirituality/Tefilah
Audience Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Type Main

11:00am EDT

Experiential Learning for Beginners

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 348

There are so many ways to create learning experiences that engage our students. What if you could create experiences where the students are the masters of their own learning? Experiential learning may be the answer. In this session we will begin to explore how one educator has helped teachers adapt the methods and ideas developed by the Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, where he trained. We will attempt the deliberate infusion of Jewish Values (Middot) into engaging and memorable experiences that impact on the formation of Jewish Identity.

Speakers

Ira Wise

Ira currently serves as Temple Educator at Temple Beth Tikvah, a Reform congregation in Madison, CT, and has served as a mentor for other synagogue educators through the Leadership Institute, HUC-JIR and Beit T'shuvah. He has attended and presented at CAJE and NewCAJE off and on... Read More →

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 348

Teaching Tools and Techniques, Jewish Life & Identity

Audience Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Teachers, Principals
Type Main

11:00am EDT

Motivations, Misconceptions, and Missed Opportunities in Engaging Today's Jewish Teens

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 202

Today’s Jewish teens care deeply, but parents and stakeholders often misunderstand what matters to them. Explore the gap between what teens want and what the Jewish community offers. Through discussion and interactive activities, we’ll examine teen motivations, adult misconceptions, and identify missed opportunities. Leave the workshop with insights to foster authentic connection with your teens.

Speakers

Loen Amer

Loen Peltz Amer (she/her/הִיא) is The Jewish Education Project’s Senior Manager, Teen Education and Engagement. A thirteen-year synagogue experiential educator, Loen most recently worked at Temple Israel of Great Neck and Bet Torah in Mt. Kisco. Loen lives on Manhattan’s Upper... Read More →

Link to Slides for Sched Motivations, Misconceptions, and Missed Opportunities pdf

Looking to build more joyful, proud Jewish experiences? pdf

PD. Resources. Inspiration. It’s all waiting for you. The Jewish Educator Portal pdf

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 202

Teens/Youth Engagement, Jewish Life & Identity

Company Jewish Life & Identity
Audience Middle School, High School
Type Main, Virtual

11:00am EDT

A Taste of Bartenura

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 320

This session will illustrate the sources of the iconic commentary of Rabbi Ovadiah [Yare ben Avraham] of Bartenura (1450-1516) as an entry point to the further study of Rabbinic sources and an understanding of the development of Halakha up to his tine period, based primarily on the rulings of Maimonides

Speakers

Robert Alpert

Rabbi Robert Alpert has served as a substitute Judaic studies teacher at the Leffell School in Hartsdale, NY. He has taught electives and prepared students for comprehensives at the Academy for Jewish Religion.

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 320

Torah Lishma, History

Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Type Main

4:45pm EDT

Making the Most of Madrichim

Monday July 27, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT

College Hall Rm 202

Investing time, energy, and money in having a team of Madrichim (teen teaching assistants) can be a costeffective way to support students who need extra help, get younger children focused on learning, and bring in a fresh perspective on Jewish education. But without clear goals and support, many madrichim wait impatiently to be told what to do, display disdain for being asked to put away their phones, or find other ways to undermine teachers. Join Rabbi Daniel Brenner, VP- Education for Moving Traditions, Melissa Pescatore, Director of Youth Learning and Engagement of Temple Shaarei Emeth in Manalapan, NJ, and other education directors who partner with Moving Traditions to learn how schools are supporting high school students in making the most of their opportunity to serve as Jewish educators.

Speakers

Melissa Pescatore

Director of Youth Learning and Engagement, Temple Shaari Emeth

Melissa Pescatore is the Director of Youth Learning and Engagement at Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan, NJ. Serving as Education Director in the congregation where she grew up, she is passionate about instilling a love of learning and building a strong, positive Jewish identity in... Read More →

Daniel Brenner

Chief of Education and Program, Moving Traditions

Daniel Brenner is a rabbi who serves as the Vice President-Education for Moving Traditions.

Monday July 27, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
College Hall Rm 202

Classroom Management, Teens/Youth Engagement

Company Classroom Management
Audience Middle School, High School, Teachers, Principals
Type Main, Virtual

4:45pm EDT

Words to Action: Empowering Jewish Students

Monday July 27, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT

College Hall Rm 319

Words to Action empowers young Jewish people to become leaders in addressing antisemitism and encourages them to explore and connect to their Jewish identity and to each other. This session will demonstrate activities that young people engage in, and share the ways WTA can be brought to school and Jewish communities.

Speakers

Shayna Meisel

Shayna Meisel is Director of Education Content & Advocacy for ADL (the Anti-Defamation League). She began her career with ADL as the D.C. region’s Education Director, after an 8-year career as a classroom teacher. Shayna oversees the development, editing and updating of ADL’s... Read More →

Monday July 27, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
College Hall Rm 319

Jewish Life & Identity, Teens/Youth Engagement

Company Jewish Life & Identity
Audience Middle School, High School, Teachers
Track Holocaust
Type Main

4:45pm EDT

Between Word and Deed: Music, Middot, and Meaning-Making

Monday July 27, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT

Maria Hall Multipurpose 2

Between Word and Deed: Music, Middot, and Meaning-Making invites educators into a dynamic, hands-on exploration of how language, values, and lived experiences shape identity and action. Through music, Jewish text, and storytelling, participants interpret anonymous acts of giving, uncovering the diverse motivations and middot behind them. This interactive workshop highlights how different pathways lead to similar actions, offering fresh insights and practical tools for fostering empathy, meaning-making, and relationship-centered learning in Jewish educational spaces.

Please bring a charged smartphone and Bluetooth earbuds (or headphones) for one interactive activity. A limited number of loaner earbuds will be available.

Speakers

Deborah Peretz

Deborah Peretz is an Israel educator and AJU doctoral student focused on language in Israel education. In her role with IsraelLINK, she designs curriculum, leads trainings, and works with educators across the Northeast and Canada. She’s passionate about creating spaces that are... Read More →

Monday July 27, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
Maria Hall Multipurpose 2

Storytelling, Music

Company Spirituality/Tefilah, Music
Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Type Main

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